Rules and Consequences
by Red Blaze 16
Summary: Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson have been kidnapped! Who knew that the aftermath would follow them to Gotham.
1. Chapter 1: Rules

Rules and Consequences

By Red Blaze 16

_**Disclaimer – I don't own YJ...**_

Chapter 1

His head was pounding. For a moment, he wondered why his head hurt so much. Dick slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The light was dim, but not because it was late in the day. In fact, as he looked toward the one window he could see, the sun looked bright outside. Dick realized that that lack of light was due to the dirt on the windows, not because it was late in the day.

His next thought was, why was he in a room with dirty windows? The teen rolled onto his side. If he hadn't noticed his hands were tied, he did when he moved. Dick looked at the ropes around his wrists. The ropes were tight against his wrists and Dick looked at the knot work. It wasn't one he normally encountered when he was kidnapped.

The teen sighed. It didn't take a genius to know that he had been kidnapped...again. His last memory was Bruce yelling as a car hit them. Dick wondered where Bruce was. His adopted father would have to have been seriously injured or unconscious for Dick to be here. Then again, knowing Bruce, seriously injured wouldn't have stopped him. If this was a kidnapping for money, it wouldn't make any sense to kill Bruce. After all, he's where the money came from.

Dick examined the space he was in. It was a mostly empty room, though there was a nearby table with a few chairs around it. Since Dick was on the floor, he couldn't see what was on the table. There were two doors. One had the dirty window, which lead to the outside, while other was much larger and seemed to go into a bigger space. Dick suspected he was in a warehouse of some type.

"He's awake." A voice to his right spoke. Dick could only assume the voice was talking about him.

"Grab him. Wayne needs convincing," growled a second voice.

Hands grabbed him. Dick struggled. Just because he couldn't do anything that would endanger his masked identity, it didn't mean the teen couldn't fight back. The teen shifted his weight around, making it difficult for the lone man to hold him. The man attempted to drag him toward the larger door. Dick struggled more.

"A little help," grunted the man holding Dick.

A second man arrived and he grabbed Dick's legs. The teen attempted to kicked out at him. With the second man firmly holding Dick's ankles, the first man let go of the teen's arms. With nothing holding his top half, the teen dropped to the ground, striking his head off the floor.

"You want more of that?" demanded the first man. "Or are you going to be a good boy."

Dick looked up at the first man. Dark blond hair, with a t-shirt and dirty jeans, the man glared down at the teen. The hair was long and tied back, though a few strands escaped the tie.

Dick nodded his head, indicating he would be a "good boy". The second man dropped his feet and both men reached for one of Dick's arms. They dragged Dick to his feet. Together, the men walked Dick into the larger room.

"Let me explain what is going on, Mr Wayne."

As Dick entered the new room, he saw his guardian sitting in a chair. Well, Bruce was only sitting because he was tied into the chair. Ropes wrapped around Bruce's chest and secured him to the chair. Additional ropes were wrapped around Bruce's forearms, keeping them trapped against the arms of the chair. Bruce's feet were tied together, but didn't appear to the tied to the chair. Not far from Bruce was a desk with a computer on it. While the computer wasn't new, it wasn't old either. _Easily new enough to have wireless internet_, thought Dick.

Around the edge of the room, including the two men holding Dick, there were a dozen men. Most were dressed the same in ripped jeans of various shades of blue and t-shirts. Some wore unbutton flannel shirts. Most were dirty.

The man speaking to Bruce was dressed more like Dick and Bruce. While Bruce wore a dark gray suit and Dick's suit was more light gray, the man speaking to Bruce wore a black suit. The man in the black suit seemed to be the one in charge.

While Dick was examining Bruce and the new room, he noted one of the men was slowly moving toward him. His clothes were the least ripped and he wasn't wearing the flannel shirt that some of the group seemed to favor. His hair, Dick wasn't sure whether it was dark brown or black, was buzzed short. Dick had noticed that some of the men had a little gut, nothing too big, but enough to be noticed. The man making his way toward Dick didn't have any flab. He was all muscle.

"I'll take him," he murmured to the men holding Dick.

"He's a live one," replied one of the men, before handing Dick off.

The boy struggled again, which drew the attention of Bruce and the man in the black suit. The new man cuffed Dick upside the head and, for a moment, the teen saw stars. The man didn't hit him in the same spot that had connected with the floor a few moments earlier, but it wasn't far off either. Dick blinked his eyes rapidly.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Bruce, struggling against the ropes that held him to the chair.

"Mr. Wayne, whether we leave the boy alone is up to you," replied the man in the black suit.

"Who are you?" demanded Bruce. Dick could hear the edge of Batman in those words. "What do you want?"

"You can call me Mr. Markson for now. And as a fellow business man, I have a proposal for you."

"A business man that resorts to kidnapping to discuss a business proposal?" demanded Bruce.

Mr. Markson smirked. "Would you prefer the term ransom, instead of proposal?"

Bruce glared at the other man.

"Whether you and your son come to harm while you're with me depends entirely upon you, Mr. Wayne," continued Mr. Markson. "Five million dollars and you will be safely released."

"And if I refuse?" demanded Bruce.

"Well," said the other man with a sigh and a shake of his head, "that will result in harm to the boy."

The man turned and looked at Dick and the man holding Dick. "You see, Miguel, the man who is holding your son, isn't one to go easy on anyone, not even a child. In fact, he likes to cause pain."

Mr. Markson turned back to Bruce. "You will be rolled up to the desk over there and given time to make the transfer into an off shore account. The account numbers are on the desk."

Mr. Markson walked to the desk, before he turned and looked at Bruce again. "You refuse, the boy will be hurt. You delay, the boy will be hurt. You attempt to contact the police or otherwise call for help, the boy will be hurt."

The man in the black suit looked at the teen once more. While his eyes were on Dick, it was obvious that the man was still speaking to Bruce. "If you cooperate, you and the boy will be released. Simply put, Mr. Wayne, if the boy is hurt, it will be because you caused it."

Mr. Markson motioned toward one of his men. A blond haired man with a dirty t-shirt, ripped jeans, and black and white flannel shirt stepped forward. "Samuel will monitor you. If he feels you're being dishonest or attempting to break one of our rules, he will tell me."

Samuel stepped behind Bruce and put his hands on the chair. Since the chair had wheels, it moved easily toward the desk. Mr. Markson stepped in front of the desk and faced Bruce.

"Are the rules clear, Mr. Wayne?"

"Yes," growled Bruce.

Mr. Markson nodded toward Samuel. The man reached down and untied the ropes that held Bruce's arms to the chair. The ropes that kept Bruce's body tied to the chair remained. Samuel stepped back and waited for Bruce to touch the computer.

Bruce looked at the numbers on a slip of paper before turning his attention to the computer. He immediately went to his online banking options and signed in.

…...

Clark Kent arrived on scene. While he was there as a reporter for the Daily Planet, he was also there as a friend. The sports car was damaged. Banged up both in the front and back, liked it had been sandwiched between two larger vehicles. Both the driver and passenger airbags had been deployed.

Jimmy Olsen, a photographer for the Daily Planet, was already taking pictures. While red head clicked away, Clark was attempted to find a police officer who could give him some information. Finally, the dark haired reporter recognized a detective who was working the scene.

"Detective Johnson? Do you have time for a few words?" asked Clark, raised his small recorder in the air.

With a sigh, the detective approached the reporter. Johnson, gray at the temples, had clean cut dark brown hair. The man wore plain clothes, a dark blue suit and white shirt, rather than a police uniform. "Yes, Mr. Kent?"

"Is it true that this car belongs to Bruce Wayne of Gotham?" asked Clark, speaking clearly into his recorder, before pointing it toward the other man.

"I can confirm that this car belongs to Bruce Wayne," replied the police detective.

"Why was Mr. Wayne in Metropolis?" asked Clark. While he considered Bruce a friend, even he didn't know everything the man did.

The dark haired reporter would like to believe that, if Bruce was in Metropolis on official Batman business, he would have been told, but Clark knew that wasn't always the case. While Batman could be unreasonable in his "no powers" in Gotham, he didn't always tell other heroes when he had to enter their cities.

"His secretary shared that Mr. Wayne was scheduled to work out of his Metropolis office today," replied Detective Johnson.

"And was Mr. Wayne transported to the hospital for injuries?" asked the dark haired reporter.

"I am not at liberty to discuss the location of Mr. Wayne at this time," replied Detective Johnson.

"Was anyone injured in the accident?" continued Clark.

"At this time, it has not been ruled an accident," replied Johnson. The detective shift his body, clearly giving the message that this interview was almost over.

"Do you suspect that someone intentionally hit Mr Wayne?" asked Clark.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation," replied the detective, before he nodded his head and walked away.

A flat bed wrecker arrived to collect the car. As it was loaded, Clark noted a backpack in the backseat of the car. The bag was open and school books had spilled out.

_Dick was here too_, thought Clark. Pretending to check his recorder, Clark listened in on the conversations going on around him. Between the officers holding the scene to Detective Johnson talking with some fellow police officers, Clark heard enough to know what had happened. Someone intentionally hit Bruce and then they took him and Dick.

…...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! It's a new Young Justice story. The beginning will be more focused on Bruce/Dick, though other YJ characters will show up later in the story. And I plan to post updates regularly. Oh and PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!  
**_


	2. Chapter 2: Rules

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews! I love reading them. And I enjoy seeing all the favorites and follows too!**_

Chapter 2

Dick tried to ignore the man holding him while he watched Bruce work at the computer. To be honest, if Dick wanted to get away, he could. Miguel, the man holding him, wasn't holding him tight enough to stop Dick from escaping. Or rather, he wasn't holding him tight enough if he had been Robin and could demonstrate his skills.

The teen hated to be caught in his civilian identity. While his acrobatic skills were something he could show, since Dick grew up in a circus before going to live with Bruce and that was well known, he couldn't show any fighting skills. Richard Grayson didn't know how to fight.

"I hope your father makes a mistake," whispered the man holding Dick.

The boy stiffened. The man's hands tightened on Dick's arms. Slowly as first, but quickly the pressure turned to pain. Dick gritted his teeth. He refused to make a sound. While keeping his hands tight on Dick's arms, Miguel started to pull them away from the teen's torso. Dick started to feel like a wishbone on Thanksgiving.

"Miguel."

The name was whispered, since Mr. Markson was standing in front of Dick and Miguel, blocking Bruce from seeing what was happening.

"You don't need to hold the boy so tightly," continued the man dressed in the suit.

Slowly, the man eased up on Dick's arms and allowed them to fall naturally at the teen's side. The older man gave one more tight squeeze, before relaxing the pressure on Dick's arms. Miguel didn't release Dick, but he wasn't holding the teen hard enough to harm either.

"And if Wayne doesn't make any mistake?" asked Miguel just as quietly.

"They always make a mistake," replied Mr. Markson, before he looked down at Dick. "What do you think your father will do? I'm sure if he saw Miguel hurting you, he would refuse to continue working."

"Was that what this was?" demanded Dick. The boy kept his voice low. "Trying to trick Bruce into breaking your rules."

"Miguel doesn't have a lot of patience," replied Mr. Markson.

Though they were keeping the conversation low, Dick was sure that Bruce was aware it was happening. So far, Mr Markson had ignored Dick. While he had spoken to Bruce about him, the older man hadn't really spoken to the teen. The fact that he was now standing in front of Dick, speaking to the teen, would draw Bruce's attention.

"Do you want the money or not?" demanded Dick quietly.

"Yes," replied Mr. Markson, just as Miguel replied, "No."

Mr. Markson smiled at the man holding Dick before turning his attention back to the boy. "I believe you now understand where our priorities lie. While I want the money, I'm not afraid to use pain to get what I want. But, as I told your father, Miguel enjoys pain. He would rather spent hours hurting you, than receive his share of the money."

"Mr. Markson?" Samuel's voice called out.

The suited man turned and walked toward the desk. Bruce had stopped typing.

"Is there a problem?" asked Mr. Markson.

"The off shore account requires nine digits. There are only eight written down," replied Bruce. He pointed toward the slip of paper on the desk.

The suited man looked at the piece of paper. He read the numbers and saw that Bruce was correct. Annoyed, Mr. Markson picked up the paper.

"Samuel, verify the account number and find out which one is missing," said Mr. Markson and handed the piece of paper to the other man.

"Problem?" asked Miguel, as Samuel walked away from the desk.

"Not of Mr. Wayne's doing," replied Mr. Markson. "He only pointed out an error that Samuel made in writing down the account number."

The man in the suit looked at Miguel and Dick. He watched as Miguel's attention shifted from the boy to a gym bag laying on the floor a few feet away.

"No lesson needed at this time, Miguel," said Mr. Markson. The man in the suit waited until Miguel's attention turned away from the bag.

"Are we still in Metropolis?" asked Bruce.

Mr. Markson looked at Wayne, still tied to the chair, and smirked. "Why?"

"Once you have the money and release us, I'd like to start thinking about what resources to use to get my son and I home," replied Bruce. "Knowing our location would help."

Bruce's voice sounded calm and reasonable, but Dick could still hear the undercurrent of tension. While Dick couldn't tell what the man holding him had looked at, Bruce had seen it. Whatever it was worried the older man.

"For your honesty regarding the account number, I will answer your question," replied Mr. Markson. "We're still in Metropolis. And now that I have answered your question, perhaps you could tell me how far you've gotten?"

"Two million is ready to be transferred," replied Bruce.

"Only two million?" asked Mr. Markson.

Before he could comment further, Samuel returned. He handed a slip of paper to Mr. Markson. The man in the suit checked the numbers and saw that all nine numbers were now present. He nodded and handed the piece of paper back to Samuel who returned it to the desk.

"Mr Wayne, before you complete the transfer, please explain to me why you only have two million in one hour?" asked Mr. Markson. His voice sounded light, but there was an edge.

"I have special transfer requirements on my accounts that don't allow large sums of money to be transferred without prior approval."

"Samuel?" asked Mr. Markson.

The blond nodded his head. "It's possible."

"It's possible," murmured Mr. Markson. He nodded his head in thought, before he looked at Bruce. "Or, would a better answer be, you're delaying?"

The man in the suit raised his hand and beckoned someone forward. He kept his eyes on Bruce.

"I'm not delaying," replied Bruce firmly. Bruce watched as Miguel answered Mr. Markson's summons, pulling Dick forward."If I try to transfer a larger amount than the requirements allow, it will lock my account."

"I'm not sure I totally believe you, Mr. Wayne," came the response.

Miguel and Dick stopped next to the desk, just to the side of Mr. Markson. Bruce quickly looked over his son. The boy didn't seem harmed, but Bruce could see some tension around Dick's eyes.

"I believe a short demonstration is needed, Miguel," said Mr. Markson.

Miguel wrapped one arm around Dick's torso, pulling the boy tight against his body. His right hand dropped to his side, only to raise a moment later with a knife in his hand. The blade was slim, less than an inch across and about four inches long. The handle was held tightly in Miguel's hand.

"No," shouted Bruce. He fought against the ropes holding him.

When Dick saw the knife, he struggled against the arm holding him. Miguel placed the knife against the boy's throat and Dick stopped moving, afraid to jar the hand holding the knife. Dick pressed his head into Miguel's chest, trying to move away from the knife. But Miguel moved the knife closer to the boy's throat.

"I am not delaying," repeated Bruce. While he was speaking to Mr. Markson, his eyes never left the knife at his son's throat.

"Miguel," said Mr. Markson.

The man holding Dick looked at the suited man. Mr. Markson shook his head. Miguel moved the knife slowly from Dick's throat and put it back to wherever he had pulled it from. Mr. Markson waved his hand at Miguel and both the man and the boy moved back to where they had been standing.

"That was a warning, Mr. Wayne," said Mr. Markson.


	3. Chapter 3: Rules

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reviews please! I like to know what readers are thinking! Thanks! :)  
**_

Chapter 3

Bruce worked at the computer, transferring the two million he had already set aside, before starting to work on the remainder. Of course, if he were honest, he could escape the ropes that were holding him. Most of the time, Miguel wasn't holding Dick tight enough that the boy couldn't escape too, if he wanted to.

But therein lay the problem. It's not that they didn't want to escape or couldn't escape, but that it would raise a lot of questions on how Bruce Wayne, philanderer and womanizer, would have the skills to take down a dozen men. While Dick's acrobatics wouldn't raise any eyebrows, people would question how a teenager could take down someone twice his size. While they would win the day, they would lose the war. People would start to ask questions and questions would lead to answers. The answer being that Bruce and Dick were also Batman and Robin.

Bruce would occasionally flick his gaze over to Dick. He didn't like the way Miguel was looking down at the boy. It made the man worry that, even if he transferred the money as Mr. Markson demanded, Miguel wouldn't release Dick. Bruce also wondered at the conversation Mr. Markson had had with Dick. It was a little too intense for Bruce's liking, which was why he had drawn attention to the account numbers.

Just as Bruce transferred another round of money, the computer locked up. At first, Bruce thought it was the computer that froze, then he realized it was his account. Just as he understood the problem, the man watching him noticed it too.

"Mr. Markson. We have a problem."

The suited man returned to the desk. "What is the problem?"

"The computer is frozen," replied Bruce.

Samuel moved Bruce away from the desk and checked the computer himself. "It's not the computer. Just Wayne's account."

"Reboot the computer," said Mr. Markson. His eyes were on Bruce.

Samuel went to work on shutting everything down and restarting the computer. When the computer was ready, the blond returned Bruce to the computer, but when Bruce attempted to log in, access was denied.

"Access is denied," said Samuel. He flicked his eyes to Mr. Markson.

"How much did you transferred, Mr. Wayne, before you locked your account?" demanded Mr. Markson.

"I didn't lock the account," replied Bruce. He raised his eyes to look at the other man.

"Then why is it locked?" yelled Mr. Markson.

"Most likely, the police found my car," replied Bruce. His voice was hard with anger. "They would have suspected something, since the car was obviously damaged, but neither Dick nor I were there. The first thing they would have done would be to lock my accounts, as it is my personal protocol, if I am missing!"

"So, you were delaying, Mr. Wayne," replied Mr. Markson.

"As soon as you gave me the correct routing number, I started the transfer. You delayed me," said Bruce.

"And how much money, Mr. Wayne, were you able to transfer?" asked Mr. Markson. His voice was barely calm. "Before your personal protocols went into effect."

"Three million."

"For you and the boy's safe release, it was five million," replied the other man. "Perhaps we can renegotiate for the other two million. But first..."

Mr. Markson turned away from the desk and Bruce and looked at Miguel. "Miguel. The meat hook."

The older man lift Dick and walked toward the meat hook that was against the wall. The meat hook was in the classic "S" shape. The top of the hook was buried into the wall, but the bottom of the hook face out into the room.

"Hey!" shouted the boy, as he struggled.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Bruce, as he pulled against the ropes that are holding him.

When they arrived at the hook, a second man assisted. It was the same man from earlier who had helped drag Dick into the room. While the second man held Dick's legs, so the boy couldn't struggle as much, Miguel straightened Dick's arms and slide his hands over the hook before releasing the boy. Dick hung from the hook by his tied hands. The second man released Dick's legs, as soon as Miguel stepped away.

"You broke the rules, Mr. Wayne," said Mr. Markson.

"I didn't delay," replied Bruce. He eyes were on Dick. "I started transferring as soon as you provided the correct account number."

Miguel had walked away from the boy and went toward the gym bag that was laying a few feet away.

"You were dishonest," replied the black suited man. "You knew about your protocols and you failed to share them with me. Samuel." Mr. Markson nodded.

The blond walked over to Bruce's chair and wheeled him away from the desk and toward where his son was hanging. Bruce struggled against the ropes and could feel them sliding.

"I want you to have a very clear imagine in your mind after this is done. So you will remember what you put your son through," said Mr. Markson.

Dick glanced out of the corner of his eye. He could see the items that Miguel was pulling from the bag. The first item he pulled out was a machete, the blade was almost 16 inches long.

"No, Miguel. This is a lesson, not a consequence," said Mr. Markson, as he also noted the weapon the man had pulled from the bag. "And you should be grateful that this is a lesson, Mr. Wayne. It means, when this is over, the boy will live and we will look at other ways for me to collect the remaining two million."

Miguel nodded his head and reached into the bag again. He withdrew a crowbar. He set it down and grabbed a third item, a baseball bat. Bruce looked at that growing pile. Weapons to hurt his boy.

"Run, Dick," said Bruce. His voice wasn't loud.

The teen looked at his father. Bruce nodded his head. Dick Grayson could escape the current situation. The boy raised his feet and pressed them against the wall behind him. He pushed off the wall and flipped off of the hook. Dick landed on his feet.

The dark haired teen hesitated. He didn't want to leave Bruce. But he couldn't get them both out, as Dick Grayson.

"Go!" shouted Bruce.

The boy took off toward the door. Miguel stopped looking in his bag. He growled and as Dick ran by, he attempted the grab the boy. Dick evaded him and ran out of the door and into the main part of the building.

When the other men started to move after them, Bruce used himself as a shield. He moved the chair around as much as possible to interfere with the other men following his son. It wasn't until Samuel grabbed a gun and slammed the butt onto the back of Bruce's head that the man stopped. Bruce slumped forward.

As soon as Dick cleared the first room, he ran for the door at the end of the room. Just as he reached the door, he heard Miguel behind him.

"Get back here!"

Dick twisted the door knob and opened the door. He stepped outside and ran. Dick saw that he was near the docks, with stacks upon stacks of shipping containers to create a maze for the teen to lose his pursuer in. He slipped between them, as he heard the door open again. Miguel was outside with him.

…...

Mr. Markson waited. Samuel had not struck the rich man too hard, so Mr. Markson assumed that other man wouldn't be unconscious for long. The chair, with Wayne sitting in it, was wheeled back to the desk. Samuel tied the rich man's arms again, against the arm rests.

A minute then two went by before Bruce opened his eyes. He looked around and saw that Dick was gone. His head hurt, but it was worth it to not see his son hanging from a meat hook.

"You've made a terrible mistake, Mr. Wayne," said Mr. Markson.

"Not where I am sitting," replied Bruce. "My boy is free."

Slowly, the other man walked toward him. "With three million, I would have released you and kept the boy. You could have collected the remaining two million and returned with it for your boy's release." Mr. Markson shook his head.

The suited man stopped at the desk. "Are you a praying man, Mr. Wayne?"

"Why?" asked Bruce.

"You better pray that your boy is successful is his escape. If Miguel catches him, he will kill the boy."


	4. Chapter 4: Rules

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So this story is going to go beyond the summary. We're not even close to done. :)**_

Chapter 4

Dick ran. It was awkward, with his hands still tied in front of him, but he didn't have time to stop. Between containers, around abandoned forklifts, the dark haired boy ran. He could still hear the sound of Miguel's footsteps.

"You're dead, boy, when I catch you," growled the man.

Dick took another turn, only to find himself in a dead end. Two rows of containers pressed up against a building meant that the only way out was up or to back track. Dick pressed himself against the side the container and listened.

"I don't hear your footsteps any more," said Miguel. His voice was fainter than the last time he spoke and Dick wondered if he was moving away. "Are you trying to hide?"

Dick took a chance and looked outside of where he was trapped. Just down the way, Dick could see Miguel's back. The man was slowly moving away. Dick slipped out of the area he was in and quietly walked away from Miguel, keeping his ears open in case Miguel doubled back.

After he had put some distance between himself and Miguel, now no longer able to hear the man, Dick paused and looked around. He didn't want to leave Bruce, but he needed to get help. Instinctively, he wanted to call the team, but, except for Wally, no one on Young Justice knew Dick Grayson was Robin.

Then again, it would be hard to explain why the team showed up in Metropolis to save Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Too many questions. On the other hand, as much as Bruce wouldn't like it, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary if Superman rescued them. They were still in Metropolis. And, unlike Batman and Robin, Superman saved people during the day.

"Superman," the boy whispered. "Help."

Dick didn't want to yell, in case Miguel was still near enough to hear him. But the teen also knew, if Superman was in the city, he could hear a whispered cry for help. Dick could only hope that Clark was in Metropolis.

A group of containers caught Dick's attention. Stacked three high, with each container eight feet tall, the containers were not stacked neatly on top of each other. There was enough of a lip that Dick could climb them, even with his hands tied.

Quietly the boy moved toward the containers. He jumped and caught the edge of the first container and pulled himself up. He balanced on the lip.

"There you are!"

Dick glanced down and saw Miguel coming at him. Dick jumped again and caught the lip of the next container. He pulled himself up and got his feet out of Miguel's reach, just as the older man reached the containers. On the edge of the second container, the boy looked down.

"You think you're safe?" sneered Miguel. He looked up at the boy and then glanced off to the right.

Miguel turned and quickly walked away. Dick looked up for the next edge and jumped again. He caught it and dragged himself up. He laid on the top of the container and looked down. Miguel was back and he was dragging a ladder.

Miguel slammed the ladder against the containers. While it wasn't tall enough to reach Dick on top of the third container, it was tall enough to make it most of the way. Miguel would be able to pull himself on top of the containers.

Quickly, Dick rushed toward the edge and leaned over. He almost slipped as he attempted to grab the top of the ladder and push it away, but the top of the ladder was almost four feet below the container. Dick couldn't reach it.

"Superman!" called Dick. Now the boy wasn't worried about being quiet. "Help!"

"Shut up, you little shit," growled Miguel, as he climbed the ladder.

Dick looked around. There was another stack of containers, but it would mean a jump. Dick looked at the container he was on. Roughly 20 feet in length, it would give Dick the running distance to jump to the next set of containers.

Dick quickly rushed to the edge of the container and started to run. As he reached the edge, he jumped toward the new stack of containers. He landed and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. Dick looked back and saw that Miguel had almost reached the top of the first container stack.

As he dragged himself on top of the containers, Miguel looked at Dick. "I'm getting really tired of you running from me, boy."

"You're not taking me back," said Dick, as he got up onto his feet.

"I have no interest in taking you back," replied Miguel. "Escaping like you did? That's a consequence, not a lesson. Like I already told you, kid, you're dead when I get my hands on you."

The older man looked at the distance between the container stacks. He walked to the end of the container he was on. Dick realized that the man planned to jump it, like he had. Quickly he looked around.

There was a nearby roof, most likely to a warehouse. Dick quickly rushed to the edge of the container and ran, just as Miguel ran to the end of his container. The older man landed on the container just as Dick jumped.

The boy hit the roof and rolled a couple of times. He got to his feet, but was almost immediately tackled to the ground. Dick struggled, but his hands were still tied. He used them to hit Miguel, as the older man pinned him, on his stomach, on the roof.

With one hand, the older man pinned Dick's hands to the ground while he wrapped his arm around the boy's throat. Dick bucked, attempted to throw the older man off of him. He tried to get his knees under him, but the man's weight was holding Dick down.

Miguel leaned down and whispered, "I'll knock you out for now. I plan to take my time with you after all the problems you've caused me."

Dick's sight started to go black. Just as the boy was about the lose consciousness, the weight on his back was gone. Gasping, Dick rolled over and looked up.

Hovering just a couple of feet above the roof top was Superman, the red and blue clad hero of Metropolis. In one hand, Superman held Miguel by the scruff of his shirt.

"You seem to be having some problems...kid," said Superman as he looked down at Dick.

"I'm Dick Grayson. A group of bad men grabbed me and my father, Bruce Wayne. I escaped but they're still holding Bruce," explained Dick.

The teen caught the older hero's hesitation before calling him kid. The teen suspected that the older hero had originally planned to call him by name, but then remembered the man he was holding. Superman knowing who Dick Grayson was on sight might raise questions that neither Superman nor Dick wanted to answer.

"Where is he being held?" asked Superman, as he drifted down to the roof.

"In a warehouse," replied Dick. The boy waved his tied hands about. "Somewhere around here."

As his feet touch down, Superman gently reached out and tapped Miguel on the head. The man's eyes rolled up as he loss consciousness. Superman put the man down the roof.

"Come here," whispered Superman, his arms open.

Dick rushed into his arms. Superman, with his arms still wrapped around Dick, pushed off the roof and into the air. Superman carefully held the boy as he used his x-ray vision to scan the nearby buildings.

"Should we leave him there without tying him up?" asked Dick.

"I'll come back for him," replied Superman.

…...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reviews please! **_


	5. Chapter 5: Rules

Chapter 5

Bruce stared at the computer. Mr. Markson had said nothing to him since his comment about praying. But, while the suited man wasn't talking with Bruce, he had been ordering around his men. Bruce watched as the men brought in two dark colored vans and loaded equipment and supplies. The computer was the last thing left in the room.

"Any word on Miguel?" demanded Mr. Markson.

"No," replied one of the nameless thugs who was loading equipment.

"If he isn't here when we're done loading, we're leaving without him," replied Mr. Markson. "He will find us. He usually does after..."

Samuel walked over and started to unplug the computer. Quickly, it was loaded into the second van. Only when everything was loaded, did Mr. Markson return to the desk.

"You know Mr. Wayne, this could have ended better for you and the boy," replied the suited man.

"You still got three million out of it," snapped Bruce.

"But there was no reason for the boy to die," replied Mr. Markson.

"He isn't dead," stated Bruce firmly.

"My man is taking a long time to return, Mr. Wayne," said the other man. "And your boy's hands were tied."

"He escaped with his hands tied too," replied Bruce.

"Let me explain this in simpler terms, Mr Wayne," replied Mr. Markson. He sat on the edge of the desk and looked down at Bruce. "Miguel never loses a target. Even if your boy successfully gets away now and calls for help, Miguel will eventually catch up with him. He always does."

Just as Mr. Markson slipped off the desk, the skylight shattered and Superman floated into the room.

"Gentleman," said Superman, before he took a deep breath and then exhaled toward the thugs around the room.

The air knocked the men down and some hit the nearby wall. Seeing the ropes near the wall, Superman quickly grabbed them and tied up the men in the room. As he zipped around the room, Superman collected Mr. Markson and added him to the group of men tied up.

"Mr. Wayne, I presume?" asked Superman, just as he finished tying the last knot.

Bruce raised an eyebrow at Superman. The red and blue clad hero smiled. Superman walked over to Bruce and quickly untied the man from the chair.

"I found your boy. He's safe," said Superman.

"Where is he?" demanded Bruce.

"Bruce!"

The man turned and watched as his son rushed toward him from the doorway. His hands were no longer tied. Bruce opened his arms and wrapped the teen in a rare hug.

"I called the police," the boy said. "There was a phone in the other room."

Tilting his head to the side, Superman listened. He could already hear the emergency vehicles.

"I have to grab the other man who had been chasing the boy and bring him here," said Superman, speaking to Bruce. "Will you be alright until the police arrive?"

"Yes," said Bruce.

"Thanks, Superman," said Dick, as he stepped away from his father.

"You're welcome," replied Superman, as he flew out of the warehouse.

Not long after Superman left, the police and ambulance arrived. The men were taken into custody. Dick was checked out by the ambulance, while Bruce spoke with the police, specifically Detective Johnson, who had been assigned the case when their damaged car was discovered. Bruce kept an eye out for Superman, waiting for the hero to return with Miguel, but he didn't.

Finally, a police officer came forward and offered to drive Bruce and Dick to the nearby police station. The officer shared that Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler and driver, was already waiting for them there. Bruce accepted the ride and silently rode with Dick to the station.

…...

After filing an official report to press charges against Mr. Markson and his men, Bruce got into the limo with Dick and Alfred. He had already spoken to Detective Johnson, on scene, while he waited for Dick to be looked over. The detective assured Bruce that, if further information was needed, he would let Mr. Wayne know.

"Everything settled, Master Bruce?" asked Alfred from the driver's seat.

"No," replied Bruce, as he settled back into his seat before looking at Dick.

"What's wrong?" asked the teen.

"Miguel is missing," said Bruce.

"Clark knocked him unconscious," replied Dick.

"When _Superman_," said Bruce, raising an eyebrow at the teen. Dick nodded his head, understanding that, even in the limo, he shouldn't have used Clark's name. "went back to collect Miguel, the man was gone."

"Is Superman going to keep an eye out for him, sir?" asked Alfred.

"Yes, and so will Batman, if that man dares to show his face in Gotham," growled Bruce.

"Why do you think he's going to come to Gotham?" asked Dick.

Bruce said nothing as he looked at his son. While, as Batman, he had heard threats on a nightly basis, he didn't like it when those threats involve Dick. _Miguel never loses a target... Miguel will eventually catch up with him._ Markson's words echoed in Bruce's mind.

"Superman?" Bruce asked, refusing to answer the boy's questions.

"I figured you had a reason for asking if we were still in Metropolis," Dick replied, squirming a little in his seat.

"And it has nothing to do with him being your favorite hero?" asked Bruce.

"That's not...completely true," said Dick, with a laugh.

"I see," replied Bruce.

…...

As the Wayne limo slowly left Metropolis for Gotham, another vehicle also made its way toward the darker city.


	6. Chapter 6: Consequences

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Originally, when I thought about writing this story, it had been a kidnap/rescue plot only. As I worked on the story, I realized I started to think about a second part, which would take place after the rescue. Rather than break it into two stories, I am keeping it one. Chapter 6 will start Part 2: Consequences – I've already updated the title and will eventually update the summary too. Thanks for reading!**_

Chapter 6

Dick was sitting by himself, eating breakfast. Bruce had already been up, eaten (or more likely, drank coffee and hadn't eaten anything), and headed out. Since the kidnapping the day before, Bruce had a few things to straighten out, including a conference call to reschedule the meetings that were supposed to take place yesterday.

While Batman had been out last night, Robin had not. After the very exciting day that they had had, Bruce had wanted Dick to have the night off. He hadn't even been allowed to go to Mount Justice and hang out with the team. Bruce said he had wanted the teen to relax at home. Dick wondered if it had more to do with Miguel. The police never found him. When Superman had gone back to grab him to bring him to the warehouse, the man had disappeared.

Clark had stopped by the Manor last night, before Bruce went out, to talk with Bruce about what had happened. Dick had already reported to Bruce about what had happened once Dick had escaped. Even though the older hero and teen hadn't discussed it, Dick knew he wasn't going to mention to Bruce his suggestion about tying up Miguel and that Clark had decided against it.

Dick heard the knock on the door. He wanted to offer to get it, but knew Alfred wouldn't allow it. Alfred had always been clear about roles and it was Alfred's to serve Bruce and, by extension, Dick. Any chance that the teen would have had of answering the door was gone until Miguel was found. Something that had been said to Bruce after Dick escaped upset the older man enough that he was being more cautious of Dick. Even Alfred was babying him.

"Dude!"

A breeze rushed passed him and stopped. Dick looked up from his plate to see his best friend, Wally West, standing by the table. The red head wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a dark blue t-shirt.

"Master Dick," said Alfred, as he entered the room. "Master Wallace has arrived."

"Thanks, Alfie," replied the teen, smiling at the older man. "Do we have more..."

"I shall bring a second plate of breakfast," answered Alfred, as he exited the room. "I'm sure Master Wallace is...hungry."

"Really?" asked Wally, glanced toward the older man. "Thanks!"

"Indeed," came the response from the other room.

"So," said Wally, as he took a seat at the dinning table across from the dark haired teen.

"So?" replied Dick, with a grin.

"How are you?" asked Wally, rushing the words out. "I mean, yesterday and all."

"I'm good," replied Dick.

Alfred stepped out of the kitchen and entered the dinning room. He placed a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage in front of the fastest teen alive.

"Thanks," said Wally.

"You're welcome," replied Alfred, as he turned away and walked over to the sideboard. "Master Wallace, do you prefer juice or coffee?"

"He wants juice, Alfie," responded Dick before the other boy could. "Caffeine and speedsters are not a good combination."

The older man nodded and poured a glass of orange juice and placed it front of the red head.

"Why didn't you call? I could have come," said Wally, as he picked up the conversation from where they had left it before the food was delivered. "And, you know, saved the day."

He ate the food slowly, with more restraint and manners than he would normally show. Dick knew, if Alfred hadn't been in the room, Wally would have shoveled the food.

"And it wouldn't have been at all suspicious for Kid Flash to come to the aid of Dick Grayson, a boy the hero isn't supposed to even know?" replied Dick, the sarcasm was thick in his voice. "Let alone in Metropolis, when Kid Flash's city is Central?"

"Master Dick, guests should not be treated to sarcasm," said Alfred, as he looked toward the dark haired teen.

"He's not a guest," Dick replied. "He's Wally."

"Dude!" said Wally. The fork he held was half way to his mouth. Wally glanced over at Alfred and put the fork down.

Dick smiled and ate some more of his breakfast. Wally ate a few more bites. After both boys finished their plates, Alfred took the dishes away.

"What happened?" asked Wally. His voice was serious.

Dick looked at his best friend. The red head was the kind of teen who rarely had a serious moment. Life was a joke. But Dick knew that one thing his friend took seriously was when Dick, not Robin, was kidnapped. Not that Wally liked it when Robin was captured, but the Boy Wonder didn't have to hold back. When Dick was kidnapped, the dark haired teen had to be careful not to show too many skills, otherwise his identity could be compromised. One time, after a really bad incident, Wally had confessed he was worried that Dick would be seriously hurt because the dark haired teen felt his secret identity was more important.

Dick saw that Alfred had come back into the room in time to hear Wally's question. While the dark haired teen knew that Alfred had spoken with Bruce and knew what had happened, he hadn't heard Dick talk about the incident.

"Since I didn't have school yesterday, I went with Bruce to Metropolis. Bruce decided to drive us. A couple of vans started to follow us as we neared the city. We noticed them immediately. One van took the exit before the one Bruce had planned to take. Bruce got off the highway and we watched the other van follow us.

"Bruce took us toward the parking garage. As we turned onto the road, for the garage entrance, the other van showed up. The van following us slammed into us a few times. The other van got in front of us and jumped their breaks at the same time that the van behind us slammed into us once more. Our car came to a sudden stop and the airbags deployed. I don't remember anything after that until waking up in the warehouse," finished Dick.

"And what happened at the warehouse?" asked Wally. The red head seemed subdued, which was not a word Dick would normally use to describe the red head.

Dick stared at the table cloth. "I woke up in a different room and some thugs brought me to Bruce. The head guy, called himself Mr. Markson, explained the...rules to Bruce. Five million for our release."

The red head's eyes grew larger when Dick casually mentioned five million dollars. While the fastest teen alive wasn't starving or struggling for money, it seemed weird to know that his best friend was rich.

"What rules?" asked Wally, when Dick stopped talking.

"Basically, if Bruce did anything Markson didn't like, this guy...Miguel would hurt me," said Dick. He looked up and at Alfred.

The older man's eyes were kind. "But you escaped, young master."

"And Superman found you?" asked Wally. While the red head hadn't spoke with the older hero, he had spoken with his uncle, Barry Allen, who was also Flash and a member of the Justice League. It had been Barry who told the teenager that his best friend had been missing. Though Barry hadn't said anything until after Dick and Bruce were rescued by Superman.

"Like I said, Walls," replied the dark haired teen, "it made sense for Superman to rescue as it was his city."

Wally nodded his head. "And the police caught everyone?"

"No," said Dick slowly, looking at his best friend. "Miguel, the guy who would hurt me if Bruce didn't do as he was told, got away."

"Does Br..." said Wally, but stopped on Bruce's name. The redhead still found it weird to call Batman by his first name. "Does B-Man think the guy is a threat?"

Dick smirked on his friend's fumble. But slowly the smile faded. "I think Bruce is worried."

…...

Across the city, in a seedier part of Gotham, some police officers stumble across the body of a dark haired teen.


	7. Chapter 7: Consequences

Chapter 7

Wally suggested going to Mount Justice to spend time with the team, but when Alfred reminded Dick what Bruce said about relaxing with no costumes, the dark haired teen asked if they could just spend the day at the Manor, eating good food and playing video games. Wally agreed when he heard that he could spend the day eating food Alfred made, especially when Alfred offered to make a chocolate cake.

"How aren't you fat?" demanded Wally, as he ate his second slice of the cake.

Dick picked at his first piece. The cake tasted great, but Dick wasn't in the mood for sweets. "Alfred doesn't make a lot of treats. Cookies are more likely, but cake is rare."

"Why?" asked Wally through a mouthful of chocolate. Or, at least, that's what Dick thought he said.

"Bruce doesn't eat sweets and Alfred only eats them on special occasions," replied the dark haired teen. "So usually we only have them around when there is company. You know, small gatherings."

Their game was on pause as they enjoyed their snack. Alfred had stepped out, saying he had to run a few errands, but reminded the boys to stay inside and that the older man was setting the alarm while he was gone.

As they finished the snack, Dick collected the dishes and put them in the kitchen. Alfred had told him he would clean up when he got back, but the teen didn't want to just leave dirty dishes in the dinning room. The boys made their way back to Dick's room to continue the game.

Hours went by as the boys played the game. Dick was so wrapped up in the game that he didn't realize how late it was until he heard a knock on his door and it opened. Bruce stood in the doorway. Dick paused the game and looked at his father.

Bruce was tense. He frowned and Dick wondered if it was because the boys had spent the day playing games – he knew that Bruce knew – or if something else was on his mind.

"Something wrong, Bruce?" asked the younger boy.

"Alfred said dinner is almost ready," replied the older man. He glanced at the red head. "You're welcome to stay Wallace, but after dinner, you should head home."

Dick frowned. Bruce always seemed more Batman and less Bruce whenever Wally was over, but, even for him, this was abrupt.

"Are we going out tonight, Bruce?" asked Dick.

"_I_ am going out tonight. You will stay in," replied Bruce. He closed the door and Dick listened as the footsteps faded.

"Does going out mean costumes?" asked Wally, who had said nothing during their exchange. The redhead had acted more like a spectator at a tennis match while Bruce and Dick had talked.

"Yeah," replied the other boy.

The boys saved where they were in the game and cleaned up for dinner. Dick and Wally came down the stairs and entered the dinning room just as Alfred placed the last plate of food on the table. It was rare for Alfred to serve dinner family style, with the food on the table and everyone able to serve themselves. It was usually reserved for holidays.

Bruce was already at the head of the table. Dick sat on Bruce's right, while Wally sat on the other side of Dick. As soon as the boys say, the older man quietly started to eat. Wally glanced at Dick, shrugged, and started to eat. Alfred had made lasagna, with a fresh garden salad and rolls.

"Bruce?" asked Dick.

"Yes?"

"Are you mad at me?" asked Dick. The teen knew better than to attempt this conversation with Wally at the table, but the feeling that his father was angry with him, not in general, wouldn't leave him.

"This is not an appropriate place to have this conversation, Dick," replied Bruce.

The dark haired teen looked at his food. Bruce was angry with him. It was the only reason he could think of on why his guardian refused to answer the question. The dark haired teen frowned. Why was Bruce angry with _him_?

Wally nudged Dick in the arm and the other boy looked over. Wally raised an eyebrow and Dick shrugged his shoulders. The two boys went back to eating, though the exchange wasn't missed by Bruce.

They quietly finished the meal. As Alfred was clearing the table, Bruce pushed his chair back and rose from the table.

"I'll see you in my study," said Bruce. Though he didn't look at Dick, the dark haired boy knew his father had been talking to him. Bruce paused at the doorway, before he exited. "Good night, Wallace."

"Good night," mumbled Wally.

As soon as they couldn't hear Bruce's footsteps, the boys got up from the table. Dick walked with Wally to the front door.

"Is he mad because we spent the day playing games and eating cake?" asked Wally. Though the door to the study was closed, the red head glanced at the door.

"He's the one who told me to relax," replied Dick. The teen shrugged.

Dick opened the door and Wally stepped outside. "Let me know if you need anything," said the red head.

Dick nodded and watched as his best friend took a few steps away from the door before he became a blur as he ran back to Central City. Dick closed the door and walked over to the study. Dick knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The teen turned the knob and walked into the study. Bruce was at his desk, holding an electronic tablet in his hand. He seemed to be reading something. Dick approached the desk and Bruce set down the tablet. Dick glanced over at it and saw an article regarding their kidnapping.

"Alfred collected your school books," said Bruce. He looked at his son. "Since you spent the day playing, you can do your school work tonight."

"Why are you mad with me?" said Dick.

"What makes you think I am angry with you?" replied Bruce. He stood up from his desk, but kept the piece of furniture between them.

"You're being short with me," said Dick. "Is that why I can't go out tonight? You're mad?"

Bruce put his hands flat on the desk and looked at Dick. "You're not going out tonight because you disobeyed me."

"When?" demanded Dick. His voice was louder than a moment before.

"I told you to run and you hesitated," replied Bruce. Dick could almost see his father pulling back emotionally. His voice was cold and impersonal.

Dick remembered yesterday, hanging from the meat hook, when Bruce told him to run. The boy had gotten himself off the hook, but he had paused. He had wanted to help Bruce.

"You are to obey me," continued Bruce. "No matter what the order is. You swore you would obey me."

"That's when we're wearing masks, Bruce," said Dick, shaking his head. "Those rules apply when...we go out at night. Those rules don't apply when we're being...us."

"And what if your hesitation had meant _he_ got his hands on you?" demanded Bruce. The coolness that Bruce had a moment ago disappeared and the teen could hear the heat.

Dick knew his guardian meant Miguel, but Bruce had been avoiding the man's name. "I got away," said Dick. His voice was quiet and firm.

"Clark told me," said Bruce. His eyes were burning with anger. Dick realized it wasn't just anger. Bruce was frustrated and, dare Dick believe it, scared about what had happened yesterday. Bruce was never scared.

Yesterday's kidnapping wasn't the first time Dick had been grabbed and held for money. But it was the first time Bruce had been grabbed with him. Bruce had never had to see what Dick went through when he was kidnapped. Dick would tell him about it after, but it was different seeing it in person.

"He told me how _that man_ was choking you," continued Bruce. The older man's voice got louder and louder. "He had to pull _him_ off of you. You didn't 'get away'."

"Dick Grayson would have been expected to hesitate," said the teen. He didn't want to talk to Bruce about Miguel and how close that man had come.

"Are you telling me that you hesitated on purpose?" asked Bruce. The heat for gone. For those few brief words, if Dick hadn't known better, he would have said Bruce was calm.

Dick met his father's eyes. He opened his mouth to confirm, but the teen knew it was a lie. Dick hadn't paused to keep up the illusion of Dick Grayon. He had stopped because he wanted to help Bruce. The older man saw the truth in Dick's eyes.

"You will take the weekend off, as a reminder of the rules," said Bruce. "When we are in the field, you will obey me."

"We weren't 'in the field'," said Dick. He slapped his hands on the desk. "We weren't Batman and Robin. You can't use the rules against me when we're not in masks!"

"This conversation is over," said Bruce. As Dick became more emotional, Bruce locked down his emotions. The man, standing in front of the teen, was cold.

Bruce picked up the tablet and scrolled through it. Dick waited, hoping his father would look at him. When the teen knew that that wasn't going to happen, he quickly strode from the room. As he stepped outside of the study, he saw Alfred.

"I put your books in your room, Master Dick," said the man quietly.

"Thanks, Alfie," replied Dick. His words were choked by the emotions rolling through the teen.

The older man nodded his head and watched as the teen headed for the stairs. When the boy was gone, Alfred stepped into the study. Bruce had placed the tablet on the desk and was standing near the windows. The sun hadn't set yet, but it was low in the sky.

"Are you going to defend him?" asked Bruce. "And say I was too harsh?"

"You're his father, Master Bruce," replied the old man. "It's your job to defend him."

"And I failed him yesterday," replied Bruce quietly.

"I don't believe you did, sir," replied Alfred. He stopped next to Bruce and glanced toward the younger man. "You were able to gather information regarding your location. Master Dick was able to use that information and get help. And, while you dislike that Master Clark had to become involved, both you and the boy are safe."

For a moment, neither man said anything. The older man patiently waited while Bruce processed his words. The white haired man, with his hands clasped at the small of his back, glanced at Bruce. Bruce looked at him and nodded.

With a gentle smile, Alfred turned to leave. As he reached the door of the study, he placed a hand on the knob. Alfred turned back to look at Bruce.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Alfred?"

"The boy is technically correct regarding the rules," said the older man. "You made it quite clear, when the boy swore to obey your rules, that they applied when he wore his mask."

Rather than belabor the point, Alfred said nothing more. Bruce sighed. "I know, Alfred."

With nothing more to say, the older man closed the door.

...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review!**_


	8. Chapter 8: Consequences

Chapter 8

While Dick could have practiced his speech sitting down, he found it easier to stand. It was due on Monday. Topics had been assigned to the students a couple of weeks ago. With ten different topics, the students were partnered, with two students assigned to each topic. Of course, the reason why there were two students to each topic was because one student was for, while the other student was against, the topic that they had been assigned. They had been given time to research and put together a reasonable defense of their assigned topic. It wasn't a debate, in the traditional sense though, but more like a speech and a chance to practice public speaking. Dick had to present why the death penalty was a good thing. Luckily, the students would be graded on the information that they used to support their case, rather than their enthusiasm for the topic. The teen found is difficult to concentrate on his homework.

Last week had been a short school week. Friday had been a teacher in-service day. Students had had the day off, while teachers still had to work. That was the only reason why Dick had been with Bruce when the kidnappers had attacked. If it had been a school day, Bruce would have been by himself. Dick didn't want to think about what could have happened, if he hadn't been there.

The teen walked over to his bed and put his note cards down. He couldn't focus. He had done well with his other work, but this was the final thing he had to do. The practice was just to make sure he had his facts ready and everything was documented correctly. After he presented, he had to turn over his note cards to his teacher for grading. Dick's mind kept drifting back to the argument he had with Bruce.

What did it matter that Dick had hesitated? Sure, he had had to call in Superman and it had been a close call, but it wasn't the first time Dick had experienced a close call. Bruce and his stupid rules! It wasn't fair that Dick couldn't go out all weekend. Those rules only applied when they were out as Batman and Robin.

Dick paced his room. The teen believed Miguel. The man hadn't wanted to kill Dick then and there, which meant, even if he had grabbed Dick, there would have been hope of another escape. It was one of the differences between Dick and Bruce. The teen focused on the bright side, while his guardian was too focused on the negative.

Just as Dick turned back toward his bed, to collect his note cards and put them away, the teen's window exploded. Glass flew into the room. The teen raised his arms to protect his face. He heard a thump of something small and heavy hit the floor. When Dick felt it was safe, he dropped his arms and looked around the room.

"Master Dick!"

His bedroom door was thrown open and Alfred stood in the doorway. Dick could hear the alarm in the hallway. After Bruce had gone out as Batman, Alfred had set the alarm on the Manor. The older man still wore his suit, though Dick had long since changed into his pajamas. The teen was very aware of his bare feet and the broken glass that littered his bedroom floor.

"I'm ok, Alfred," replied the boy.

"Don't move," said Alfred. The older man also noticed Dick's bare feet. "Let me clean up some of the glass before you walk around."

Dick nodded his head. Alfred left the doorway briefly, only to return with a broom in one hand and a small vacuum in another hand. Alfred cleared a path for Dick to walk to the door. The teen stepped out of the room and could hear the faint sound of a phone ringing. While Alfred cleaned the glass, Dick ran across the hall and entered Bruce's room. Quickly, the teen picked up the phone.

"Wayne Manor," said Dick.

"Dick? What happened?"

The teen recognized the voice of Batman. Obviously, the house alarm had sent a signal to the Batmobile.

"Broken window," replied Dick. "Alfred is cleaning it up now."

"Put Alfred on the phone," replied Batman.

Dick sighed and carrying the phone out of Bruce's bedroom and across the hall.

"Don't come in yet, Master Dick," said Alfred, as he saw the teen back in the doorway.

"Bruce wants to talk with you," said Dick, as he showed the phone to the older man.

Carefully, Alfred walked to the doorway. He took the phone and glanced at Dick. "It will take some time to clean up the glass. Why don't you go into Master Bruce's room and rest in there?"

Dick nodded and left. He crossed the hall and entered Bruce's room. Dick started to close the door, but stopped when he saw Alfred walk back into his room to talk with Bruce and continue cleaning. Carefully, the teen opened the door and listened.

"Yes, a broken window," said the butler. He hadn't gone back to cleaning. At least, Dick wasn't hearing any movement in his room. "Master Dick's room." There was a pause. "From the outside."

Remembering the sound of something hitting the floor, the teen wondered what had been thrown through the window to break it. Most likely a rock. Dick glanced down the hall, toward the main stairs. _That would mean someone was outside to throw the rock,_ thought Dick. Quickly, the teen rushed down the hall and toward the stairs.

Just as he put his hand on the door knob, he heard his name shouted.

"Master Richard!"

The teen looked back and saw Alfred standing on the top of the stairs, still holding the phone.

"You will not go out there," said the older man firmly.

"But whoever threw the rock could still be out there," replied Dick. The teen kept his hand on the door.

"That is precisely why you will stay inside," replied the older man.

Alfred walked down the stairs. Dick stayed near the door. He was still tempted to open the door. Just as Alfred reached Dick, the door vibrated, as someone slammed their body into the door. Alfred grabbed Dick by the shoulders and drew the teen away from the door.

The door vibrated again, as someone slammed into the door again. Through the small windows at the top of the door, Dick could see shadows moving, as whomever moved around outside stepped into and out of the light cast by the outside light.

"Master Bruce," said Alfred. His voice was quiet. Dick looked over at the older man and saw that Alfred had spoken into the phone. "Whomever threw the rock is attempting to break in through the front door."

"I'm on my way," Dick could faintly hear Bruce's reply.

Alfred pulled Dick further away from the door.

"Can you hear me, boy?"

The question came from the other side of the door. Dick's eyes widened. It was Miguel's voice. While Alfred didn't recognize the voice, he noticed Dick stiffen.

"Come out."

Dick opened his mouth to reply, but Alfred placed a hand over the teen's mouth. He lowered his head and spoke directly in Dick's ear. "Best not to confirm that we are here," whispered the older man, as he lifted his hand from Dick's mouth.

"You don't come out, I will find someone else to take your place for tonight."

Dick took a step forward, but Alfred pulled back on him. The teen looked back and Alfred shook his head. Faintly, they could hear the sound of police sirens.

"Come out here, before the police arrive, and no one else has to die tonight, boy." The voice growled. Dick suspected that Miguel had pressed against the door to say those words.

The sirens grew louder. Miguel growled. The door vibrated again and again, as the man on the other side repeatedly slammed his body into the door. "Come out! Come out!" Miguel shouted from the other side.

Alfred wrapped one arm around Dick's chest, pulling the boy against him. Slowly, they backed away from the door.

"Alfred? What's happening?" Dick could faintly hear Bruce's voice over the phone.

"If that door opens, you run," whispered Alfred.

"I'm not leaving you, Alfred," replied Dick, just as quietly.

Bruce heard both of them over the phone. "You listen to Alfred."

Just as Alfred's heels hit the bottom of the stairs, noise at the front door stopped. The quiet was almost worse. A moment later, the police sirens were loud and the blue and red strobe lights reflected through the small windows at the top of the front door. Two sharp knocks hit the front door.

"Police!"

Alfred handed the phone to Dick and calmly walked toward the door. He turned the lock on the door, but kept the chain lock attached. Dick knew, if it was Miguel pretending to be the police, though it didn't sound like the man, the chain lock wouldn't stop him from kicking the door open. Alfred barely opened the door and glanced outside. With a sigh, he closed the door, released the chain lock and reopened the door. Standing on the front step were two Gotham City police officers.

"Please come in, gentlemen," said Alfred. He stepped back to allow the police inside before he shut the door. "We've had a rough night."

…...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reviews please! Thanks!**_


	9. Chapter 9: Consequences

Chapter 9

Dick sat in the study, with the phone and Bruce still on the line, while Alfred spoke with the police. The older man shared with the police that Bruce had been out for the night, but had also received notification of the home alarm. He had called and had stayed on the phone through the ordeal of whomever it was who attempted to break in. It didn't take much for Dick to pretend to have been shaken by the attempted break in and cling to the phone.

When Bruce mentioned that he was almost home, Alfred offered to show the police Dick's room, where the window had been smashed. Both the teen and older man knew that what Bruce meant was, he was in the Batcave and needed the study empty of police for him to come upstairs. The study door shut just as the clock slid aside and Bruce stepped out. The clock slid back into place. Bruce stared at his son, who was still holding the phone, though the call had already ended.

"Dick?"

Dick set the phone down and looked at his father. "It was Miguel."

Bruce nodded. He had been able to hear what the man had been yelling, during his attempt to break into the house, through the phone. While Dick had spent more time with Miguel, Bruce also recognized the man's voice.

"I told the police already that I recognized the voice," said Dick.

"Ok," replied Bruce. He went to walk by the couch where Dick sat, but stopped. Bruce placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. The man dropped his hand and walked toward the closed study door. As he place his hand on the doorknob, Dick spoke again.

"He's going to kill somebody tonight, Bruce."

"Dick..." said Bruce, as he turned away from the door.

"And it's going to be my fault," continue the boy.

Bruce walked away from the door and stopped in front of Dick. He sat on the couch. After a brief pause, Bruce wrapped an arm around Dick's shoulders.

"Stop it," replied Bruce. While the words were harsh, the tone was warm.

"You heard him, Bruce," replied the teen, shaking his head. "He's going to find someone to kill tonight."

"Whether or not he kills, it is not your fault," replied Bruce.

The door opened and Alfred with the two police officers entered the room. Rather than stand to greet the police, Bruce stayed where he was.

"Thank you for coming," said Bruce.

…...

Over the next hour, Alfred and Bruce spoke with the police. Sometime during the hour, Dick fell asleep on the couch. When the police were able to collect all the information they could, they left. Alfred walked them to the door. When he returned, he came with a blanket. Bruce gently laid Dick down on the couch and Alfred covered him.

They quietly walked out of the study and Bruce walked over to the front door. He opened it and examined the door. There was some damage, but the door was solid and it had held up. Bruce closed the door and locks were engaged.

"What happened?" asked Bruce.

"When the alarm went off, I went to Master Dick's room. There was broken glass everywhere. The boy was standing in the room. I cleared a path free of glass so he could exit the room. I sent him to your room, but I heard him on the stairs. I came out of the room and went to the head of the stairs. The boy had his hand on the doorknob to the front door."

"He tried to go outside?" asked Bruce. He closed his eyes. Before Dick came into his life, fear was not a common emotion for Bruce. Now, he felt it all too often. Not for himself, but for the boy who had taken up a huge space in his life.

"Indeed, sir," replied Alfred. While the older man didn't show it, he was terrified. What if he had been a minute later and hadn't stopped the boy from going outside. Alfred took a deep breath. "I told him to step away from the door. Shortly after I joined Master Dick near the door, a man started to yell outside and attempted to break down the door. I believe the arrival of the police drove him away."

"Dick said it was Miguel," said Bruce. He glanced toward the study.

"Yes, sir, he did," replied Alfred. "Shall I board up the window for tonight?"

"No," replied Bruce. "Just lock the door from the outside. I will work in the study and Dick can sleep there for tonight."

Alfred nodded and walked away. He headed for the stairs. Bruce walked into the study.

…...

As the sun came up, Dick opened his eyes and looked around. He was still in the study. Bruce sat at his desk and took a sip of coffee. In his other hand, he held the electronic tablet and scanned the news. The teen pushed back the blanket and stretched.

"Morning," said Dick.

Bruce set the coffee cup and tablet down and looked at his son. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Dick slipped his feet off of the couch and placed them on the floor. While most of the study had a hard wood floor, the sitting area had an area rug. Dick rubbed his feet against the rug.

"I don't know," replied Dick, before he glanced up at his father. "I'm used to it, you know, when we go out at night."

"It?" asked Bruce. He got up from the desk and walked over to the couch. He sat down next to Dick.

"People trying to kill me. It's a new experience as Dick Grayson," replied Dick. He attempted a smile, but it faded. "So, what are we going to do? After last night, we know that Miguel followed us to Gotham."

"What do you think of staying at Mount Justice?" asked Bruce. He got up from the couch and walked back to his desk. His back was to Dick as he asked the question.

"For how long?" asked the teen.

"Until he's caught," replied Bruce. He walked around the desk and placed his hands on the chair, but didn't pull it out to sit.

Dick got up from the couch and paced. He stopped in front of Bruce. "I can't believe I am going to say this, but...that could take days. What about school?"

"After what happened on Friday, no one would blame you for wanting a few more days off," replied Bruce. He pulled back the chair and sat.

"Yesterday, you told me I had disobeyed you and couldn't wear the costume for a few days," said Dick. He walked over to the couch and sat. He looked at Bruce.

"You were right," the older man replied. "The rules I quoted at you are for when you're Robin, not Dick Grayson. The mask shouldn't have been withheld from you."

Dick felt too edgy to sit, so he got up and paced in front of the desk. As he glanced down on the desk, an article on the tablet caught his attention. Without waiting for permission, Dick picked up the tablet and read the article. While murder wasn't new for Gotham, even a serial killer was worthy of news attention.

Dick quickly scanned the article, but his eyes focused on the details. Two boys. Teenagers. Dark Hair. Blue eyes. Beaten to death. The first body found Saturday morning, while the second was found before dawn today. Since the investigation was so new, there was more details on the first victim. His hand slowly relaxed and Dick placed the tablet back on the desk. When he looked at Bruce, he saw that the other man's eyes were on him.

"I was right, huh, Bruce?" The sarcasm was thick in Dick's voice. "Or is it that you want to hide me and, for once, Robin is safer than Dick Grayson? Let me guess. The team won't get any missions while I am there."

"Whether or not the team will be assigned missions is a Justice League matter," said Bruce. While his eyes had grown hard, it wasn't a Bat glare.

"And what if I decide to stay here?" the teen asked. "I don't want to hide."

"Let me rephrase then," replied Bruce. The teen was now receiving an official Bat glare. "You will be going to Mount Justice for a few days. You can either pack your own bag or Alfred will pack it for you."

Dick clenched his hand. "You might be able to make me go, but you can't make me stay there, Bruce."

"You will if I disable the zeta tubes," replied the older man.

"And you'd do it, wouldn't you?" replied Dick, angry. "You would strand the entire team on the island, just to make sure I couldn't leave."

"I'm trying to keep you safe," said Bruce, as he stood up from the desk.

Dick didn't reply. He turned around and walked out of the study.

…...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review! It keeps me motivated to finish the story. **_


	10. Chapter 10: Consequences

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review! Thanks!**_

Chapter 10

Dick reached his room. While the door was closed, it was no longer locked. Alfred had already scheduled a morning appointment for the window to be replaced. While summer was still a few weeks away, the evenings were cool. Also, as long as the window remained broken, the alarm system couldn't properly work.

Dick grabbed a bag and stuffed some clothing in the bag. He went to his closet and grabbed a small shoe box from the shelf it was on. Quickly, he opened the box and stuffed the contents into his bag. While he was packing his bag, he wasn't going to Mount Justice. The teen grabbed his cell phone and quickly sent a text off to Wally.

_Can you meet me at the Manor in 5? Don't come to the front door. Wait for me below my window._

A second later confirmation arrived. Wally would be there shortly. Dick felt bad about involving his best friend, but he wasn't going to hide at Mount Justice, waiting for the police to capture Miguel.

As soon as the bag had everything he needed, Dick changed out of his pajamas. He kept an ear out of Alfred or Bruce, just in case one of them decided to check on him, as he watched for Wally. Less than a minute after he was ready, he saw his best friend below the window. He threw his bag from the window. It hit the ground with very little noise, but it drew Wally's attention. The red head looked up and watched as Dick jumped from the window. With a quick flip, the teen rolled as he hit the ground.

"Dude! Why couldn't you..." started Wally, but the dark haired teen rushed over and placed his hand across Wally's mouth.

"Not here," replied Dick. "Can you take me to Roy's?"

Wally nodded. Dick grabbed his bag and together the boys took off together.

…...

Star City was the home of Green Arrow and his former sidekick, Roy Harper. Like Wally, Roy knew that Dick Grayson and Robin were the same person. As Speedy, Roy had been one of the original sidekicks, though Robin had been the first. Now? Roy was having an identity crisis.

A few months earlier, he found out he was a clone of the real Roy Harper. The red head was determined to find the original Roy. But this Roy was the boy that both Wally and Dick had worked beside. While the redhead wasn't officially attached to any team, Dick knew Roy wouldn't turn the dark haired teen away.

Quietly the boys stood outside of the apartment door. Dick took a breath and knocked on the door. Due to the time difference between the east coast and the west coast, the sun hadn't even risen in Star City. The boys heard some noise from inside, before the door cracked open.

"What!"

Dick recognized that growl anywhere. "Roy, I need your help."

With a sigh, the door shut. Dick listened as Roy fumbled with the chain lock before he opened the door again. He beckoned both boys in before he shut and locked the door again. He turned to face them.

Dick could see that Roy was sleep disheveled. Hair was sticking up. Roy wore a white tank top and blue drawstring pants. The older teen rubbed at his face as he walked over to his couch and plopped down.

"What's wrong?" While Roy looked like he was still sleeping, the voice was clear.

"Where to start," sighed Dick. Quickly, the dark haired teen explained everything, from the kidnapping on Friday, to Miguel showing up at the Manor last night, to Bruce's threat to stick Dick at Mount Justice and disable the zeta tubes.

As the teen explained, Roy got up from the couch. He continued to listen as he made his way to the kitchen. The apartment was small, with a shared living room/kitchen space. A change in flooring and a kitchen island were the only separation between the two spaces. Roy grabbed coffee and started making a pot. He measured out the grounds and turned the coffee maker on. As the coffee brewed, making noises as the liquid fell into the pot, Dick finished his explanation.

Roy grabbed a coffee mug. As soon as the coffee was ready, he poured a cup and started to drink it. He waved his hand toward the pot, indicating that the boys could help themselves, as he stepped away from the counter and headed back toward the couch.

"So B-man wants you safe?" said Roy, as he sipped the coffee.

"He wants to trap me at Mount Justice," replied Dick.

"I hate to say this, but I kind of agree with him," replied Roy, as he sipped more coffee.

"Roy!" said Dick.

"I thought you were his friend," said Wally.

The older redhead looked at the teen speedster. "I am his friend, but I can see the problem that Bruce sees. Dick can't fight back. Too much risk. What if it becomes public knowledge that Dick is Robin? He'd never be safe, Wally. The safest thing is for Dick to hide where this guy can't find him and let someone else take him down."

Wally looked at the ground and scuffed his feet against the floor. The dark haired teen started to wonder if he had made a mistake coming to Roy.

"But," said Roy, as he turned his attention back to Dick, "you've been a hero long enough to make that decision yourself."

"So, what are you saying?" demanded Wally.

"I'm going to help you. What's your plan?" Roy finished his coffee.

"Do you have a phone or tablet?" asked Dick.

After Roy got his phone and entered the pass code, he handed it to Dick. The teen pulled up the article he had read earlier and showed it to Roy.

"Both bodies were found within a few blocks of each other," said Dick. "Most likely, that's where he's living. We just need to find him and turn him over to the police."

"And how do you propose you will hunt for him?" asked Roy. "You can't run around Gotham as Dick Grayson and the Robin suit is in the Batcave."

"Actually," replied Dick, as he pulled the backpack off his back. He opened the bag and the two redheads could see the red, yellow, and black of the Robin suit. "I keep a spare in my bedroom."

"We need to go back to Gotham," said Wally.

"And we can't use any of the safe houses in Gotham," replied the dark haired teen, as he zipped the bag closed. "Batman will know."

"I've got a safe house in Gotham that Batman doesn't know about," replied Roy. "We can use it."

"I've got to go back to Central City," shared Wally. "I don't have my stuff."

"We'll go to Gotham. Dick and I will stay at the safe house while you go and get your stuff," replied Roy.

"But be quick," said Dick. The dark haired teen looked at his best friend. "If Bruce thinks I'm with you, he'll contact your uncle to find out where you are. Barry may be waiting at your place."

As the three heroes agreed to their plan, Roy returned to the kitchen. With all the running around Wally would need to do to get them to Gotham and get his stuff, a large breakfast was needed, before they could head out.


	11. Chapter 11: Consequences

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reviews motivate me to update!**_

Chapter 11

The boys finished breakfast and were cleaning up when they heard a new knock on the door.

"Open the door, Roy."

"Shit," whispered Dick. While the red heads didn't say anything, from their faces, they shared Dick's opinion.

All three recognized the voice of Oliver Queen. Ollie was a member of the Justice League and Roy's former partner. While Ollie was willing to bend the rules, even he couldn't completely ignore Dick's presence so far from Gotham and not check in with Bruce.

"Hide in the bedroom," whispered Roy. He motioned toward the hallway that lead away from the main living area.

Quickly the boys dashed down the hall. The door shut just as Roy unlocked and opened the front door. Standing outside his door was not just Ollie, but Dinah Lance too. Also a member of Justice League, she was Ollie's lover. Roy wasn't surprised to see them both together, though he was wondering why they were at his door at such an early hour.

They walked into Roy's apartment and the red head shut the door behind them. Ollie wore a casual suit, a brown jacket over a green button down shirt. His pants were off-white. Dinah wore skinny jeans and a bohemian shirt that flowed over the top of her jeans. The shirt was mostly white, with red and purple stitch near the collar. It was shorter in the front and longer in the back.

"Good morning, Roy," said Dinah.

"Morning, Dinah," replied the red head. "Is there a reason why you guys are at my place at the ass crack of dawn?"

"Well, you see, kid, I got woken up _before_ the ass crack of dawn by Bruce," said Ollie. He ran a hand through his blond hair, as he looked around the apartment. "Bruce watched as Dick took off with Wally this morning and he specifically heard Dick mention you."

"Are the boys here, Roy?" asked Dinah. She frowned as she looked around. Dinah's eyes lingered on the dishes in the sink.

"Why would they be here?" replied Roy.

"Bruce is worried," said Dinah. She always seemed to get a better response from Roy, which was odd, since Ollie had been his official partner.

"Bruce is controlling," replied Roy.

Ollie nodded his head a few times. Dinah looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"He's not wrong," said Ollie, defending himself.

Dinah rolled her eyes before she looked at the red head. "Someone is after Dick. Bruce is trying to keep him safe."

"By threatening to trap him at Mount Justice?" demanded Roy.

"How would you know what Bruce planned to do?" replied Ollie.

"It's ok, Roy. You tried."

At the sound of Dick's voice, the three adults turned and watched the two boys walk down the hall and into the large living space.

"Hey, Wally," said Ollie with a grin. "Your uncle is looking for you."

"Thanks," replied Wally, with a lack of enthusiasm.

Dick stopped in front of Ollie and Dinah. "I'm not going to Mount Justice," said the dark haired teen.

Dinah sighed and waved toward the couch. The dark haired teen plopped down and Dinah sat down next to him.

"Bruce wants you safe," said Dinah. "That man showing up at the Manor last night has made him..." She faded off, not sure the word she wanted to use.

"If it were anyone other than Bruce, we'd say scared. But he doesn't get scared," said Ollie. "Thoughtful. Cautious. Controlling. Those words would work."

Dinah sighed again and look up, as if she were seeking cosmic strength.

"And demanding. Like calling before the sun is up and..." continued Ollie.

"Oliver," said Dinah.

The blond hero closed his mouth. A second of silence passed then two. Dinah looked back at the dark haired teen. "Bruce is worried."

"He didn't get in. Miguel. The guy from last night," replied Dick. "When the police showed up, he ran."

"What about next time, Dick?" she asked.

"I want to help bring this guy down," said Dick. "Not be hidden away until the danger is past. Yeah, it's dangerous, but so is being Robin. What's the difference?"

"That's a conversation to have with Bruce. What we're going to do now is head for the nearest zeta tube and you're going back to Gotham," said Dinah, as she stood from the couch.

"Wally?" asked Ollie. "Do you want to run back to Central or join us with the zeta tubes?"

"I'll...I'll go with Dick," replied the red head.

Ollie and Dinah headed for the door. Wally followed. Dick glanced at Roy.

"If you still want help in Gotham," said Roy. "Let me know."

"Thanks, Roy," replied the dark haired teen. Then he left the apartment with his best friend and the two members of the Justice League.


	12. Chapter 12: Consequences

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming!**_

Chapter 12

Bruce was in the Batcave when Ollie, Dinah, Dick and Wally showed up through the zeta tube. The older man's eyes locked onto Dick. For a moment, no one said anything.

"Dick, why don't you bring Wally upstairs so he can leave," said Dinah, which earned her a Bat glare. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I have an urgent matter to discuss with Bruce."

Dick glanced at Bruce, then waved at Wally to follow him.

"Set one foot outside the Manor and you're grounded for a month," growled Bruce. Dick paused and glanced at Bruce. The teen didn't say anything.

Wally kept walking toward the stair and Dick rushed to catch up. Just before they started to walk upstairs, Dick stopped and took the backpack off his back and placed it at the bottom of the stairs. Without another glance, the boys went upstairs. Bruce kept his eyes on the stairs until he heard the faint click of the clock sliding shut. He turned to Dinah and Ollie.

"What's the urgent matter you need to discuss?" demanded Bruce. Even though the man wasn't wearing the Batman suit, the other two heroes knew that they were talking to Batman.

"You're welcome, by the way," replied Ollie. "Dragging us out of bed..."

Dinah and Bruce ignored the other hero.

"Is Mount Justice really your only option?" asked Dinah reasonably. She knew better than to question Bruce's parenting, but felt she owed Dick to at least ask.

"That's not your concern," replied Bruce. He turned away and walked toward the 'computer. "You can see yourselves out."

"Bruce, just hear me out," said Dinah.

She didn't move forward, but she waited. Bruce stopped, placed a hand on the large chair in front of the 'computer. He kept his back to her.

"Dick wants to help," she said. "If you let him help, you can keep an eye on him."

"And Dick has already demonstrated that he can escape," mentioned Ollie. "Even if you lock down the zeta tubes, the kid is resourceful. He will find a way off the island."

"Keep him in the Batcave," continued Dinah. "If he's helping, he isn't going to be running off. And you will be able to keep a direct eye on him. Or he can stay with any League member."

She waited to see if Bruce would respond. A minute went by and the dark haired man said nothing. As another minute slowly drifted by, Bruce turned his head and glanced at them.

"Just think about it," said Dinah.

Without another word, the two blond heroes went back to the zeta tubes and left.

…...

Dick was at the front door with Wally. The dark haired teen opened the door.

"If he sends you to Mount Justice, I will come and keep you company," offered Wally.

"Thanks," replied Dick. "Hopefully I didn't get you into too much trouble with your uncle."

"Uncle Barry is cool," replied the red head with a shrug. He stepped away from the door.

A moment later, Wally ran for home. As soon as the dark haired teen couldn't see him, he shut the door. Dick walked back to the study and went to the clock. The teen changed the time on the clock, to reflect when Martha and Thomas Wayne were murdered, and the clock slid open. Dick quietly slipped inside and headed down the stairs.

"Just think about it."

The teen could faintly hear Dinah's words. He wonder what she meant by those words and what the urgent matter was that she needed to discuss that couldn't wait. While Dick didn't know all cases that the League was working on, he usually heard something about the cases that required Batman. The teen didn't think Batman was working on anything urgent right now that was League business.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw the zeta tube shut down. Obviously, the blond heroes hadn't waited for Dick to return before they left. It was just as well. Dick didn't want them to see Bruce lay into him for running away. As Dick stepped down the last step, he sat down on the stairs. He figured it wouldn't be long before Bruce started to yell.

"Come here, Dick."

The teen pushed off the stairs and walked over to the 'computer. Bruce was in the chair and a map of Gotham was on the screen. Two red dots were glowing near Crime Alley, while a blue dot glowed over Wayne Manor.

"Do not ever take off on me again, Dick," said Bruce. He had turned the chair and stared at his son.

The teen took his eyes from the computer and looked at Bruce. "I am not going to be a prisoner at Mount Justice."

"You want to stay at the Manor?" asked Bruce.

"Yes," replied Dick.

"Then we're going to have a new set of rules, until _he_ is caught," said Bruce.

"What kind of rules?" asked Dick. He tried to contain his excitement. Bruce wasn't sending him away! Though, depending on the rules, Dick might have more freedom if he went to Mount Justice.

"You are not allowed to be anywhere by yourself," said Bruce. The man stood from the 'computer. "When you're in the Manor, you will be with Alfred or me at all times. You will sleep in the Batcave."

Bruce motioned toward a small chamber off on the side. It had an emergency bed, when Batman needed to stay in the 'cave. The bed wasn't as comfortable as the ones upstairs, but Dick had slept on it once or twice before. It always had clean sheets. The space was cooler than upstairs, so Dick would need to bring down a winter set of pajamas to sleep in.

"Alfred or I will bring you to and from school. Tomorrow, I will walk you in and have a private conversation with the headmaster of the school. I will explain the situation to the school and share with them the importance of keeping you safe. While at school, you are to stay with a group of friends. Do not go off by yourself," continued Bruce.

"I can spend time with Babs and Artemis," offered Dick.

Babs or Barbara Gordon was a friend of Dick's and the adopted daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon. Since her father shared some Batman and Robin stories with her, she was a huge fan of the heroes. Of course, Barbara didn't know that her best friend, Dick Grayson, was Robin.

Artemis was a teammate of Dick's on Young Justice. She was officially the partner of Green Arrow, but Dick often wondered how well that worked out, since Artemis lived and attended school in Gotham and Green Arrow operated out of Star City, which was on the other side of the country. Like Barbara, Artemis didn't know that Dick Grayson was Robin.

Bruce nodded his head. "All excursions into the city are canceled."

"Bruce, I have a field trip to the museum on Friday," said Dick.

"You're not going," replied Bruce, shaking his head.

"If I don't go, I don't pass the class," replied Dick.

Bruce paused and considered. While Dick's safety was more important than passing a class, Bruce also hoped that Miguel would be caught before the end of the week. If the man wasn't caught, Bruce could always decide against Dick going to the museum.

"I'll make sure you have a chaperone for the field trip," replied Bruce. And, Bruce figured, if he couldn't find a responsible person to go with Dick, he had a reason for the teen not to go on the field trip.

"A chaperone?" demanded Dick. "Little kids in elementary school get chaperones!"

"No chaperone, no museum," replied Bruce. "If I have to, I will speak with your teacher about making it up on a Saturday and I will go with you. I'm sure the school will understand, after the kidnapping last week, why the field trip wouldn't be safe."

"Artemis will be on the trip," replied Dick. "Can she be my...chaperone?"

"No," replied Bruce. "If these rules aren't acceptable, then pack your bag. You will go to Mount Justice today." Dick opened his mouth, but Bruce continued. "Let me be clear, Dick. I will make sure that the zeta tubes are locked down. I will make sure that no team members are there. All exits will be locked, so you can't get outside. I will take all steps necessary to make sure you cannot leave."

"Fine," said Dick. "The rules are...acceptable." Of course, what the teen wanted to say was that Bruce was being unreasonable and overprotective. But Dick figured those comments might lose him the option of staying at the Manor.

"Furthermore, if you see _him_ or hear _him_, you will run and hide," said Bruce. He stared at his son. Of all the rules, the older man felt this one was most important. "You will not engage."

"What if I don't have a choice?" replied Dick.

"You will not engage," repeated Bruce. His voice was hard, though no one who knew Bruce would say it was unemotionally. Anger was just under the surface. "Promise me, Dick."

Dick wanted to say that Bruce wasn't being fair, but the teen knew that that comment wouldn't be entirely true. Bruce was letting him stay at the Manor. It was more of an option than Dick had earlier today.

"Fine," replied the teen. "I promise. Can I help you find him?" When Bruce opened his mouth, Dick rushed on. "Here. In the Batcave. Not engaging."

Bruce closed his mouth and considered. The older man remembered what Dinah had said before she had left. _If he's helping, he isn't going to be running off._ The teen would already be spending a large amount of time in the Batcave, as that's where Bruce planned to spend his time until Miguel was caught.

"You can help in the 'cave," replied Bruce. "But Robin will not engage him either."

"Why?" asked Dick. Then the teen put up his hands, palms out. "I'm not challenging. I just want to know why. Miguel is fixated on me, not Robin."

"You saw the article," replied Bruce. The older man didn't need to provide much more prompting regarding the article Dick saw earlier today regarding the two murdered teens. Dick hadn't forgotten. "We don't have any clear evidence, at this time, that _he_ committed those murders, but..."

"Bruce," said Dick. That one word and the older man saw all the frustration drain away from the teen. Standing in front of him was a boy feeling guilty over something he wasn't responsible for. "We know he did it and it's my fault."

The teen didn't say any more. He could still hear the man's words from last night. _You don't come out, I will find someone else to take your place for tonight. _While the teen had been at Roy's he had read and re-read the article on the murders. The details ate at him. He felt responsible. Those boys were dead because of him. Their only crime was wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong colored haired.

Bruce stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on Dick's shoulder. "It's not your fault, chum." Bruce gave the shoulder a quick squeeze and then stepped back.

"If he did kill either of those boys, and only one of those murders took place after he attempted to break in, then he's targeting dark haired teens. As Robin, you still fit that description," said Bruce. He voice was quieter and had lost the hard edge of a minute ago. "You can help in the Batcave, but you will not face him. Not as Dick Grayson and not as Robin."

The teen nodded his head in agreement.


	13. Chapter 13: Consequences

Chapter 13

Dick held his backpack on his lap. Bruce drove the car as they neared the school. Gotham Academy was a private school that only the best could afford. When Dick first came to live with Bruce, he was too young to start school there. The school started with 7th grade and Dick was officially in elementary school when he moved in. But, as soon as Dick was old enough, Bruce enrolled him in the school.

Dick found most of the students who attended there a little too pretentious, though there were rare classmates, like Barbara Gordon, who were easy to get along with. When Artemis started at the school, Dick had made sure to greet her. He surprised her and took a selfie with her. _We'll laugh about this someday,_ he had told her. Of course, someday still hadn't happened, as she still didn't know that he was Robin.

Bruce parked the car and they headed toward the school. Dick wanted to pull away from Bruce. He was a freshman and the last thing he wanted to do was be seen walking into the school with his father, but the teen knew Bruce wouldn't let him go until Dick could leave with someone. As they cross the yard, Dick scanned the other students and his eyes locked onto a redhead sitting with a blond.

"That's Barbara," said Dick. He reached out to touched Bruce's arm. The older man stopped and looked at the girls. "And Artemis."

"Be careful," said Bruce, but the man nodded his head. Dick hurried off to join his friends.

Barbara was sitting at a picnic table. Sitting across from her was Artemis. Both girls were wearing the same dark blue knee length skirts and white blouses. Artemis wore a matching dark blue jacket, while Barbara wore a dark blue vest. Artemis' blond hair was tied back in a ponytail, while Barbara's red hair didn't have anything holding it back and hung just past her shoulders.

Dick also wore his school uniform. Tan pants, with a white shirt and dark blue jacket. His backpack was on one shoulder and as he approached the table, he slipped it off and set it on the ground. He sat next to Barbara.

"Dick!" said Barbara, as she noticed her friend. "Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" demanded Artemis. The blond checked over the boy, but didn't see any reason for concern.

"Let me guess," said Dick. He looked over at the redhead. "Your dad told you."

"At least he did," she replied quickly. "You never called to say you were safe."

"What's going on?" demanded Artemis. She looked between the two teens. Even though Barbara and Dick had been students at Gotham Academy longer than her, she was older and an upperclassman.

"Dick and his father were kidnapped on Friday," said Barbara as she glared at Dick.

"I didn't not call you on purpose," mumbled Dick. "And as you can see, I'm fine."

"So, what happened?" asked the blond. Artemis leaned forward on the picnic table. She studied the boy and agreed with Dick's statement that he seemed alright after the ordeal.

"We got car jacked on the way to Bruce's office in Metropolis," said Dick. Since he knew the rescue involved Superman, Dick shifted his eyes from Artemis to Barbara. "I escaped and called for help. And you will never guess who showed up?"

Dick forced the excitement into his voice. For the average citizen to meet a superhero, it was an amazing experience, providing the situation ended well. Of course, Dick was used to Superman. He regularly spent time with the dark haired hero, both as Robin and Dick Grayson. But time spent as Dick Grayson was with Clark Kent, Superman's civilian identity. Dick Grayson officially had never met Superman until Friday.

"Who?" demanded Artemis.

"Superman!" said Dick. He glanced at the blond. Artemis' face registered the name and, for a second, her face revealed a little too much. He turned his attention back to Barbara.

"Traitor," she murmured.

"Knock it off, Babs," replied Dick. He rolled his eyes.

"Traitor?" asked Artemis, her eyes went back and forth, looking at Barbara, then Dick, then back to Barbara.

"Dick likes Superman," explained Barbara. "Even though he's from Gotham and his favorite hero should be Batman." She stared at her dark haired friend.

"The man can fly," said Dick. He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "What's not to like?"

"So, did they catch all the...bad guys?" asked Artemis. She wasn't sure how to enter the conversation on who was her favorite superhero was.

While she did agree with Dick, it would be cool to fly, she also knew Superman and how things were between him and Conner. Conner was a teammate of Artemis' on Young Justice and he was a clone of Superman. It wasn't Conner's fault, but Superman was weird around her teammate. And Conner was aware. Of course, she couldn't share her reasoning with Dick and Barbara, as neither of them knew she was a superhero herself.

Then again, she had met Batman on many occasions. She wasn't afraid to admit that he was scary. Everyone, except Robin, seemed intimidated on the team by the Dark Knight. But, for the same reason she couldn't share her doubts about Superman, she couldn't say anything about Batman.

Ollie had explained the importance of a secret identity. In fact, almost every League members had had a conversation with her about how important it was and not to share that information with anyone without clearing it first. She often wondered if it would be safe to share it with Dick and Barbara, but she felt she hadn't known them long enough yet.

"Actually," Dick said, as he ran a hand through his hair and frowned, "one guy got away."

"Is Bruce worried?" asked Barbara. She frowned, then waved a hand in the general direction of the school. "I saw him walking in with you."

Dick nodded. His face grew serious. "Bruce is worried. The guy followed us to Gotham. He tried to break into the Manor over the weekend."

For a second, neither girl spoke as they stared at their friend. Finally, Barbara took a deep breath. She wanted to ask if Dick was alright, but, as the teen was sitting next to her, it seemed like a silly question to ask. "Is that why your father is here?"

The dark haired teen looked at Barbara. "Bruce was going to send me away. Someplace safe, until the danger passed. But I talked him out of it. Bruce is talking with the Headmaster now, so the school is aware of the threat."

He took a deep breath and then grinned. "Bruce also doesn't want me to be alone, so guess who is your new buddy?"

"We already hang out," replied Barbara, as she rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean, you're going to have eat with me at lunch and walk me to class," said Dick. He pursued his lips in thought and used his forefinger to tap his lips. "You might even need to carry my books."

Barbara reached over and smacked Dick in the arm. The teen laughed. "Not going to happen. I will sit with you at lunch and I will walk with you between classes, but you're carrying your own books."

"What about you?" Dick looked at Artemis and batted his eyes at her. He smiled. "Will you carry my books?"

"No," replied Artemis. She tried to hold back her laughter, but a smile escaped. Once she got to know the younger teen, she found him amusing. Some of his antics were truly hilarious. "You can carry your own books."

"I'll take what I can get, I guess," replied Dick, just as the bell rang. 

…...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're close to the end...only a few chapters left. **_


	14. Chapter 14: Consequences

Chapter 14

The school day ended uneventful. Every time Dick entered a class, the teacher would pull him aside and ask if he was alright. Obviously, the Headmaster had spoken with all of Dick's teachers. He hadn't asked Bruce what the plan was if Dick had to use the bathroom. The older man had made it clear that the teen wasn't to be alone, but the dark haired boy couldn't believe that would include an escort to and from the bathroom. Luckily, he was able to stop by the bathroom between classes, though he felt weird with Barbara waiting outside for him.

When Dick stepped out of school at the end of the day, he saw Bruce waiting for him in the parking lot. He walked across the courtyard and opened the back passenger door. Dick put his school bag into the car, then closed the door, before he opened the front door and got in.

Bruce didn't say a word. As soon as Dick had buckled up, he shifted the car into first and left the parking lot. They were almost home before he spoke.

"Nothing happened at school," said Dick, hoping to make some small talk with his guardian.

"I know," replied Bruce. As they came to a red light, the car stopped and Bruce shifted the car back into first.

"How?" asked Dick.

When the light turned green, Bruce continued with the trip home. "How what?"

"How do you know that nothing happened today?" asked the teen. He looked at his father.

"Your Headmaster called me regularly throughout the day," replied Bruce. He kept his eyes on the road and didn't look at Dick. "Each teacher checked in with him at the start of each class to confirm that you were in class."

"Wow, Bruce," grumbled the teen.

"If you don't like it, we can always return to the first option," replied Bruce. He didn't need to say it out loud that the first option involved Mount Justice.

"No," replied the teen.

As they turned up the drive, Dick took a deep breath. The ride had been a little uncomfortable. Bruce had been an odd combination of Bruce and Batman. They parked the car in front of the front door. Bruce shut off the car as Dick unbuckled and opened the door. He stepped out and opened the back door to grab his bag. As he headed toward the front door, it opened.

"How was school, young sir?" asked Alfred.

"Fine," replied Dick, as he walked by the older man.

Dick headed for the steps, but stopped when Bruce called out to him.

"Where are you going?"

Dick stopped at the stairs and looked at Bruce. "To my room. To do my homework."

"Not by yourself," replied Bruce. "You can do your homework in the study."

Dick sighed and turned away from the stairs. He headed for the door to the study and Bruce followed him into the room. Bruce walked over to his desk and sat down. He pulled out his electronic tablet and scanned the news.

Dick went over to the seating area. It held a couch and two matching chairs, all in dark brown. The coffee table was also dark brown. The rug on the floor, which seemed to complete the space, was various shades of brown and red. Since the table was too low to work on from the couch, Dick grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it on the floor. He dropped the backpack on the floor next to the table and plopped himself down onto the pillow. Dick used the couch for his back.

The teen quietly worked on his homework, while Bruce worked on the tablet. They had been working for only a few minutes when the door opened and Alfred entered, carrying a tray. He stopped at the desk and placed a coffee cup, filled with black coffee, on the desk. He then walked over to Dick and placed a similar coffee cup, except this time filled with hot chocolate, on the table.

Dick glanced at the hot chocolate, topped with whip cream and shaved chocolate pieces, then looked at Alfred. The teen smiles. "Thanks, Alfie."

"Indeed, sir," replied the older man. "And how was your debate?"

"Good," replied Dick. He picked up the hot chocolate and took a sip. "We should get grades later this week."

Alfred nodded, and pulled the tray flat against his chest.

"Speaking of end of this week," said Dick, as he looked at Bruce. "Have you decide who will be my chaperone on Friday?"

Since Alfred didn't offer a comment on the chaperone idea, the teen assumed the older man knew.

"Not yet," replied Bruce, as he scrolled through an article. It was a follow up article in the Daily Planet on the kidnapping of Bruce Wayne and his son, Dick Grayson. It mentioned the rescue by Superman and the capture of the men responsible. Though he hid it well, Bruce was slightly amused that Clark was able to report about his own adventures in the newspaper.

"What about Roy?" suggested Dick, drawing his father's attention from the article.

"No," replied Bruce. He set the tablet down and took a sip of his coffee.

"Why?" asked Dick.

"After what happened in December, you have to ask?" replied Bruce. He set down the coffee cop and looked at his son.

While the team had suspected a mole, no one had thought it was Roy. The redhead had been Speedy and later Red Arrow. He had been the first partner of Green Arrow, or so everyone believed. Then again, no one had known that Roy was a clone of the real Roy Harper, who had gone missing shortly after he had become Speedy.

Dick knew that it was important to Roy to find the "real Roy Harper" as he called him. Dick had offered to help. The teen had never met the original Roy Harper. He wasn't positive about this, but he was fairly sure that the exchange took place early on and it was before Dick started to spend time with Speedy. Not that that changed anything. If the original Speedy was still alive, he needed to be found.

"It wasn't his fault," replied Dick.

Roy's actions caused the Justice League to be controlled by the Light. When the redhead had realized what he had done, Roy had escaped. He eventually helped Young Justice free the Justice League. Six members of the League – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, John Stewart, and Hawkwoman – went missing for sixteen hours, while they had been under the control of the Light. None of them remembered what they had done during that time. When Batman didn't have an active case, he quietly worked on what he and others had been doing those hours.

"And if it wasn't for him, helping the team, you and the others might still be under the control of the Light," added the teen.

"I'm aware of that, Dick," replied Bruce. "But Harper is distracted now. He's too focused on finding the real Roy Harper. I need a chaperone who will be focused on you."

Dick looked down at his books. It wasn't fair, but it was the truth. Roy was fixated on finding the other Roy. For emergencies or other extreme situations, he could be pulled away, but his focus always returned to his primary mission.

"Sirs," said Alfred, drawing the attention of both the teen and the man. "Dinner should be ready shortly."

"Thank you, Alfred," replied Bruce. He picked up the tablet and went back to reading the news.

Dick returned to his books. The teen wanted to be done his homework before dinner. He knew, after dinner, Bruce would want to spend time in the Batcave and Dick wanted to be able to help Bruce, rather than still be doing his homework.

…...

As the sun set, a new body was discovered. But it wasn't found near Crime Alley, like the first two. Instead, he was found not far from the local public high school, wearing the uniform of a Gotham Academy student.


	15. Chapter 15: Consequences

Chapter 15

The next day, Dick was dropped off at school by Alfred. Bruce was already working in the Batcave when Dick woke up. Of course, Dick had spent the night in the 'cave. It was kind of cool and Dick wondered if Bruce would be open to Wally and him doing a sleepover in the 'cave.

Since Barbara was aware of what was going on, she met Dick at the car and walked with him into the school. The day seemed to be just as quiet as the previous one. Dick was sitting outside with Barbara, eating lunch, when a teacher approached.

"Mr. Grayson?" Dick recognized the teacher, though his didn't know her name. It wasn't a teacher he had ever had as a student. Dick thought the teacher only taught upperclassmen.

The teacher was an older woman, her hair more gray than its original blond. She wore a lavender colored suit, with a pencil skirt and a short sleeved jacket. The blouse under the jacket was a darker purple, almost black. Though she hadn't avoided all the extra weight age brings, the woman obviously took care of herself.

"Yes?" the teen responded.

"You have a message waiting for you at the Main Office," shared the teacher. "I was told to escort you."

Dick glanced at Barbara and shrugged his shoulders. He was done eating, so he cleaned up after himself. Barbara was still eating her lunch.

"I'll meet you at the Office, when I am done, and walk with you to class," said Barbara

"I'll be waiting," replied Dick with a grin and a wink.

He grabbed his backpack and followed the teacher to the Main Office. It was rare for Dick to be called to the Office. He wasn't a known troublemaker. Then again, it was a private school and regular troublemakers rarely stayed long in the school.

About the only time Dick was called to the Office was for messages. Usually from Bruce or Alfred to let him know that there would be a change in plans after school. Dick knew that he didn't have any plans for after school. Or rather, it was the same plan as yesterday. Bruce or Alfred would pick him up and he would go directly home.

The teacher held the door open for Dick, as they reached the office. The Main Office had a smoked glass door. The frame of the door was hard wood, but most of the door was glass and it wouldn't stop anyone who want to enter or leave the Office, if that person was determined enough. Dick thanked the teacher and entered the room. Rather than follow Dick into the office, the teacher allowed the door to shut and she left.

Dick approached the desk and saw the receptionist for the school. Emily Sanford was young for a receptionist. Dick estimated her as only ten years older than himself. She always wore a suit and her brunette hair was always pinned back whenever Dick saw her. The teen thought she did that as a way to make herself look older, as she could almost pass for a student.

"Hi," greeted Dick. "I was told I had a message waiting. Richard Grayson."

While he was "Dick" to almost everyone, the school insisted on formalities. It was always "Mister" this or "Miss" that. On the rare occasions when a teacher called a student by the first name, it was the full first name, never a nickname. Dick still remembered the look at the Headmaster's face when he had introduced himself the first time as "Dick Grayson".

Miss Sanford checked and pulled out a slip of paper that was folded in half. On the outside, Dick's name was written. She handed the paper to Dick.

"Here you are, Mr. Grayson," she replied.

Dick knew he had to wait for Barbara, so he stepped back from the desk. He set his school bag down and opened the paper. Dick didn't recognize the handwriting, which wasn't unusual. Often, when it was a message from Alfred or Bruce, the note was written on a small piece of pink paper by whomever took the message, with block letters on top of the paper that said "While you were out". This note was not written on the pink paper. Instead, it was on a full sheet of white paper.

The paper was taped shut. He quickly ripped the tape and opened the note. He stared at the words and it took a moment for him to process the words.

**How many more have to die?**

Dick flipped the paper and looked at the back. He examined the piece of paper, but except for his name and question, nothing else was written.

Dick stepped up to the receptionist desk. "Miss Sanford?"

She looked up from the desk. "Yes, Mr. Grayson?"

"Where did this note come from?"

Just as she opened her mouth to answer, an alarm rang. It was the school's fire alarm. Quickly, Miss. Sanford stood up from her desk.

"Mr. Grayson, please exit to the school."

"But, Miss Sanford..." started Dick, but the adult interrupted him.

"Make a right after you leave the office. The closest exit is at the end of the hall," said Miss Sanford.

She bent over and opened a drawer. She removed a small black purse. When she looked up, she saw that Dick was still standing there.

"Now, Mr. Grayson," she said, as she came around her desk. "This isn't a planned drill."

Dick opened the door and both he and Miss Sanford exited the office. They both headed for the door. Dick and Miss Sanford were almost to the exit, when he heard a shout.

"Dick!"

The dark haired teen turned as he heard Barbara's voice. The redhead stood at the end of the hall, but that wasn't what drew the teen's attention. Between them was Miguel. Instead of wearing jeans and a t-shirt, the man wore black pants and a long sleeved black shirt. He was standing outside the door to the boy's bathroom.

"Run, Miss Sanford," said Dick.

"Come here, boy," Miguel demanded, as he started to walk down the hall toward Dick.

"RUN!" screamed Barbara.

Dick wanted to stand and fight. Of course, he knew he couldn't. While he had promised Bruce he would run or hide, there was also Miss Sanford and Barbara to consider. Robin knew how to fight. Dick Grayson did not.

Dick also knew running wasn't an option. He wouldn't make it far before the older man caught him. He hoped that Miguel would leave Barbara and Miss Sanford alone. Instead of running for the exit, Dick ran for a nearby classroom. He pulled the door shut and pressed the lock on the doorknob.

Dick looked at the door and knew it wouldn't hold Miguel long. While it had less glass than the door to the Main Office, the door still had a smoked window. It meant that, when students opened the door, there was less chance of hitting someone in the hall. It also meant, Miguel could smash the window in and unlock the door.

From outside, Dick heard a thump and a female cry. The teen hesitated, tempted to open the door and see if whomever it was was alright. He couldn't tell whether it had been Barbara or Miss Sanford. His hand was on the lock, when he saw a shadow move across the door and the door shuddered under impact.

"Come out," Miguel growled.

He looked at the large teacher's desk and ran for it. Just as he reached the desk, he heard the window smash. Dick pushed the desk. The door would open into the hallway, so while the desk wouldn't stop the door from opening, it would provide an obstacle for Miguel. He slammed the desk into the door frame, just as a hand came through the broken window and reached for the doorknob. The lock wasn't a deadbolt, but built into the doorknob. With a twist of the doorknob, the door open. Miguel pulled his hand back and jerked the door open.

Dick ran from the door and headed toward the window. The day had been warm and the windows were open. Just as Dick reached the window, he felt a hand grab his wrist and jerked him back. Off balance, Dick fell backwards and hit the floor.

"No escape," growled Miguel.

The older man reached down and wrapped his hands around Dick's throat. Dick fought. He wasn't worried about keeping his identity safe. The mask would mean nothing if Dick died in the classroom. But, with Miguel's hands wrapped so tightly, the teen couldn't get a fresh breath of air.

"Let him go!"

Dick heard a cracking sound and suddenly, he could breath. Gasping on the floor, he looked up and saw Artemis. She was holding a broom, the handle was broken, barely connected. The blonde finished snapping the broom in half and held the two pieces, one in each hand. Miguel was facing her.

"Run away, little girl, before I decide to turn my attention to you," said Miguel.

"Police are on their way," she replied.

Dick couldn't hear any sirens over the sound of the fire alarm. He assumed Artemis had been outside to have heard any sirens responding to the alarm. Dick coughed and rolled onto his side. The man looked down and raised his foot.

"Don't!" Artemis shouted.

But the older man slammed his foot down on Dick's side. Even over the fire alarm, the crack of breaking bones could be heard. Dick screamed. Quickly, Miguel turned and backhanded Artemis across the face. The force knocked the blonde backwards and, as she fell, she struck her head on the corner of the teacher's desk. She hit the floor unconscious.

"Artemis," Dick groaned.

Miguel reached down and wrapped his hands around Dick's throat. Instead of applying pressure, Miguel raised Dick's head off the floor and then slammed his head back down. Dick's head connected with the floor. His head exploded with pain and Dick lost consciousness.


	16. Chapter 16: Consequences

Chapter 16

Bruce was working in the Batcave when the alarm sounded. Alfred was walking away, having just brought a fresh cup of coffee.

"My word!" said Alfred, as he turned back to look at the computer.

"It's the fire alarm at Dick's school," Bruce said, as he raced from the computer and head toward the stairs.

Since it was daylight, even if Bruce had been dressed in the suit, he couldn't have headed to the school as Batman. Gotham knew that Batman worked at night. Also, it would raise too many questions if the Dark Knight showed up at the school. Questions that could include, was Robin a student there?

"Isn't it normal for the alarm to be tested monthly?" called Alfred.

Bruce was half way up the stairs when he shouted. "They tested the alarm last week."

Bruce didn't wait for Alfred to follow him. He burst into the study. He checked his pocket and found that he did have a set of car keys. He ran for the garage and found the car he had driven yesterday. With a click of the button, the door unlocked and Bruce slipped into the car. As he started the car, he pressed a button and the garage doors opened. He put it into reverse and whipped the car out. With a quick turn, the car spun and Bruce shifted into first. He peeled out of the driveway, leaving rubber.

When he arrived at the school, firetrucks and police, with their lights flashing, were already there. Bruce quickly parked the car and jumped out. He saw an ambulance. Sitting on the back of the ambulance, arguing with the EMTs about going to the hospital, was Artemis.

"I'm fine," said the blonde, as one of the technicians checked her head.

Standing near the ambulance was Barbara Gordon and her father, James. Barbara spotted Bruce before her father did.

"Mr. Wayne!" the redhead shouted. The girl went to run toward him, but a hand on her arm from her father stopped her.

Bruce drew closer and saw a massive bruise on the redhead's face. It looked like someone had struck her hard.

"Stay with Artemis," said James, as he patted his daughter's arm before stepping away.

"What's going on?" demanded Bruce. His stomach was tight. A fire alarm, when there wasn't one scheduled, had interrupted the school day and sent everyone outside. Artemis and Barbara, the two people Dick had said that he would spend time with, were obviously injured. And Bruce didn't see his son.

"There is no easy way to say this," said James, as he approached the younger man.

James Gordon still had his red hair, like his daughter, though it was going gray at the temples. The man was older than Bruce by at least 15 years, which still made him a young Commissioner. The man wore dark gray pants and a matching dark gray vest over a black shirt.

"What happened, Jim?" asked Bruce, though he feared the worst.

"Someone pulled the fire alarm," said James. "It wasn't planned. Most of the students were outside, enjoying the weather and eating lunch. When she heard the alarm, Barbara went into the school to find your son. He had been called to the Main Office just before the alarm."

James took his glasses off and rubbed at his eyes before putting the glasses back on. "Barbara turned down a hall and saw Dick leaving with a staff member. A man she didn't recognized came out of the boy's bathroom. She screamed at Dick."

"Your son turned around, saw the man, and took off for a classroom. Barbara ran after the man, to stop him, and he backhanded her. She said she doesn't know what happened after," finished the older man.

"Jim, where is my son?" asked Bruce, but he knew. If Dick were still at the school, he would have been standing near his friends.

"Gone," replied James. "We found the room that he used. The door was open. The window in the door was smashed. Obviously, that's how whoever it was got into the room. It looks like your son tried to use the teacher's desk to block the door. Miss Sanford, the staff member who had been with Dick, was hurt. We found her outside the classroom. We think she tried to stall the man and he attacked her. The first ambulance on scene took her to the hospital. She was still unconscious when she was found."

The older man glanced backwards and looked at the ambulance. Artemis was still arguing about going to the hospital. "Artemis was inside the classroom. She tried to help your son and was hurt in the process. The EMT doesn't believe that there's a concussion, but he wants her to go to the hospital to be checked out."

James looked at Bruce. "I already have police out, searching for him. We'll find him, Bruce."

Bruce nodded his head and turned away from the Commissioner. He rushed toward his car. He slipped in and grabbed his briefcase, which had been sitting in the passenger seat. He slid his hand inside and pulled out a device, not much larger than a cell phone and turned it on. A slow beeping came from the device. Bruce pressed a few buttons and a map displayed on the device. A glowing red dot moved across the screen.

"Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce looked up and saw Artemis looking into the passenger window. The window was down. She looked at the device in his hands and then at Bruce's face. The older man could read the confusion in her eyes.

"Get in the car, Artemis," replied Bruce. He threw the briefcase into the backseat, but kept the device in his hands.

When she recognized the voice of Batman, her eyes grew large. Her mouth formed a "B", but she didn't go any further.

"Car," said Bruce.

She opened the car door and slipped inside. She dropped her backpack on the floor of the car and shut the door.

"Strap in," growled Bruce.

Quickly, the blonde teen pulled on the seat beat, as Bruce backed up and pulled out of the parking space. Bruce pressed a button and then handed her the device.

"I'm tracking Dick," said Bruce.

As the car exited the parking lot, a tiny voice chirped from the device in Artemis' hand. "Left." Bruce turned left.

"Dick trusts you," said Bruce, "which is why I am letting you in on the secret."

"You're Batman," said Artemis. Bruce nodded his head. "That means, Dick is...Robin."

"Yes," growled Bruce. The device chirped again. "Right."

The directions were slowly taking them away from the school and into a more rural area. Old farms and abandoned homes littered the area. The road became rougher, as the pavement slipped away and a dirt road replaced it.

"Do you have your uniform?" demanded Bruce. He always kept a spare in a secret compartment in whatever car he was using.

"Yes," she replied. She opened her backpack and took out a smaller bag. Inside the smaller bag,she pulled out the familiar green costume. "But I don't have my arrows."

Bruce glanced over at the uniform, before jerking his eyes back to the road. "Do you bring it to school every day?" Bruce was glad that she had it today, but he did not want her getting into a habit of taking it to school every day. Bags could be lost.

"Dick told me yesterday how someone was after him," she replied, shoving the uniform back into the bag and closed it. "I figured, if someone came at him while he was at school, I could slip it on and..."

"That would have risked your identity," replied Bruce. He turned the car again when the device chirped. "Left."

"What would you have done?" she demanded. Perhaps it was her shock of finding out her classmate was also her teammate, or finding out that the man who paid for her attend school was Batman, but the blonde wasn't willing to back down.

Bruce didn't answer. The device chirped again. "Right." Bruce drove by.

"Wait!" said Artemis, as she turned in her seat. "You drove by..."

"It's a driveway," replied Bruce.

He saw a side road and pulled onto it. They drove for almost a mile before he pulled the car over. There were trees nearby and the car stopped under them. Bruce reached a hand under the seat and pulled on a lever. Artemis heard a click. Bruce opened the car door.

"Get changed."

She watched him exit the car and walk around behind. Bruce opened the trunk. Artemis reopened her bag and dragged out the suit.


	17. Chapter 17: Consequences

Chapter 17

Dick groaned. His right side burned. He wasn't sure, but he suspected he had at least one broken rib.

"Wake up."

Smack. A hand landed across Dick's face, jerking his head to the side. The teen slowly opened his eyes. The room was mostly empty and in rough shape. Windows were smashed. Curtains were dangling. Wallpaper was peeled and hanging. Dick was sitting on the floor, with his arms stretched out and above his head. He turned his head and saw an old metal bed frame that was turned on its side. His hands were tied to the bedposts with ropes. Dick could feel the metal frame of the bed against his back.

Dick attempted to move his feet, but found that they were struck. He glanced down and saw that his feet had been bound together with industrial packing tape. More of the tape was used to tape his feet to the floor.

The teen looked up and saw Miguel. The man was still wearing the black pants from earlier, but the shirt was gone. In its place was a black tank top. Dick wasn't sure if it had been under the shirt or if the man had changed.

"Good," said the man, as he saw that Dick was awake.

"Where are we?" demanded the teen.

Instead of answering his question, Miguel reached down and struck Dick across the face with his open hand. Pain at his mouth let the teen know that the blow had split his lip.

"The only sounds I want to hear from you are begging and screaming," said Miguel. He knelt down on one knee.

The man clenched his fist and slammed it into Dick's right side. Dick bit his lip, but he couldn't stop the gasp. If the rib hadn't been broken before, it was now. The new blow sent black spots through the teen's vision. With heavy breathing, Dick glared at the man.

The man drew back his arm again and punched Dick in the side for the second time. Dick screamed. Again, Miguel waited for Dick to look at him, before drawing back for a third blow. The teen felt another rib break. The fourth blow landed before Dick had recovered completely from the third punch. He didn't even have the air to scream.

"Four days," said Miguel, as he settled back and watched Dick gasp for breath. "You made me wait four days to recapture you."

Miguel stood back up and walked away from Dick. The teen stretched as much as he could, as he attempted to alleviate the pain, but nothing helped. While his side had burned when he first woke up, this new pain brought tears to his eyes.

A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek. Miguel returned and saw the tear. "Crying already?"

Dick glared at him. As Robin, the teen had been tortured by the Joker, Two-Face, and Deathstroke. He refused to let some thug get the best of him.

"But I haven't broken you yet," said Miguel, acknowledging the teen's glare.

The man knelt. In his hand was a baseball bat. Miguel set it on the ground. With his right hand, he reached out and grabbed Dick's chin.

"Four boys are dead because of you," said Miguel. "As soon as I got into Gotham late Friday, I killed the first boy. I was so furious with you that I killed the boy too quickly. He barely suffered. Cops found his body early Saturday."

Miguel drew back his hand and slapped Dick across the face. The teen didn't make a sound. Miguel frowned.

"Second boy died after I visited your place. He lasted a little longer, but I was really angry," said Miguel. His hand cracked across Dick's face. "You could have come outside and spared that one."

"The newspaper reported the deaths. I realized that I had killed them too close to where I was staying," said Miguel. "I wasn't ready to be caught." He backhanded Dick across the face.

"Sunday, I moved and found this place," he continued. He waved his hand around, gesturing at the building they were currently in. "And guess what?"

Dick glared. "What?"

Miguel reached over and slapped Dick hard across the face. "Begging and screaming only, boy."

Miguel moved his hand and placed it on top of Dick's head. Grabbing a fist full of hair, Miguel jerked Dick forward. The ropes held him tight and Dick groaned from the pressure on his ribs."There was a squatter. Dark hair, just like you, but so skinny. Almost like he hadn't eaten in weeks."

He released Dick's hair and sat back on his heels. The teen tried to settle back against the bed frame, so he was putting less pressure on his side. "It was like a house warming present. Made me feel so welcomed. But he made me late for school on Monday. I had planned to do the fire alarm yesterday and catch you."

"I showed up too late to get you even leaving school, but I found one of your classmates. Wearing your school uniform. I killed him when I couldn't find you."

Miguel's hand drifted over to the baseball bat. "But now, I have you, so it all worked out."

Miguel grabbed the bat and stood up. Raising the bat high, Miguel brought it down on Dick's left shoulder. Crack. Dick screamed as he felt his collarbone snap.


	18. Chapter 18: Consequences

Chapter 18

Artemis approached the back of the house. Windows were broken. The roof sagged and most likely leaked when it rained. The blonde hero had been careful to stay low. The day was sunny. Mistakes that the night would cover would be glaringly obvious in daylight. She slid up under a broken window. She lifted her head, looking into the room. No one was in the room.

She reached out to the window frame and pulled herself into the building. As her foot touched down, she glanced around the room and gasped.

"Report."

Batman spoke directly into her ear, via a communicator. Batman had elected to leave the comm open, so Artemis would be able to just speak. The other option relied on pushing a tiny button to activate it every time she wanted to talk. Batman had wanted to make sure he could hear everything that was going on, so he had decided against using the button mode.

"There's a body," she whispered.

The boy had dark hair. For a second, when she first saw him,she thought that they were too late and Dick was already dead. On a second look, she wondered how she could have mistaken this body for Dick.

While they both had dark hair, the body was much smaller than her friend. The clothes that the boy wore were rumpled and stained. The colors didn't come close to matching Dick's school uniform. The body smelled, not because he had been dead a long time, but because it had been a while since he had bathed. His eyes, filmed over in death, stared blankly toward the ceiling. There were signs of abuse. Blood and bruising covered what she could see of his skin.

She closed her eyes and her guilt almost overwhelmed her. For a brief moment, when she realized that the body wasn't Dick, she had felt relief. Now she felt ashamed. She wasn't happy that the boy was dead, but she couldn't help but feel glad that it wasn't Dick.

Artemis slipped away from the body and quietly walked to the door. She could hear the murmuring sound of voices.

"Voices. Close by," Artemis whispered.

"Acknowledged." Batman replied.

After they had changed into their suits, Batman had shared the plan. Artemis could sneak into the house and attempt to find out where Dick was being held. Once she knew, she would exit and report to Batman.

She checked the hall, outside of the room she was in, and found it empty. She slipped into the hall and waited.

"I killed him when I couldn't find you."

Artemis took a step forward. She recognized the voice as the man who had attacked Dick at school. While she didn't hear Dick, she could only assume that's who the man was speaking to. Since she had confirmed at least his presence, Artemis went to go back to the original room and slip out to join Batman.

"But now, I have you, so it all worked out."

As she neared the doorway of the room she had originally entered, she heard the crack, followed by the loudest scream she had ever heard. She ran for the room that she had heard the scream come from.

"Change of plans," she quickly whispered. Batman had also provided her with a backup plan, if the first one wasn't an option. If Dick was in direct danger, Artemis was to engage.

As she passed through the door frame, her heart took an extra beat. Dick was tied to an old metal bed frame. Miguel stood over him, holding a baseball bat. Pain was all over Dick's face and tears leaked from his eyes.

Artemis put her hand back and, instead of drawing a bow, she drew a staff. Batman had kept an extra of Robin's staffs in the car. She had only ever used it in practice sessions with Black Canary, but since it was the only weapon available, she had told Batman she would make it work.

Extending the staff, she brought it down on the hand holding the bat. The crack was loud and Miguel yelled. He dropped the bat and turned to see who had attacked him. She spun the staff and cracked him across the face, which brought him to his knees.

"Bitch," he growled.

As he jumped back to his feet, the window behind him shattered as Batman came in. The Dark Knight slammed into Miguel. Figuring that Batman could handle Dick's attacker, Artemis turned to Dick. She knelt next to him.

"Dick?" she whispered, as she reached for the ropes that held him.

Just as she started to shift the rope, to untie her friend, Dick groaned. The more she moved the rope, the louder he got.

"Stop," he moaned. "Please."

She hesitated on the ropes. She wanted to make Dick more comfortable, but she felt like she was making it worse. She heard a loud thump and groan. She glanced over and saw that Miguel was down and Batman was tying him up. As soon as he was secure, Batman strode over to Artemis and Dick.

"I tried to untie him, but it was hurting him," she explained.

Batman grabbed a bat-a-rang from his belt. He held the rope just above Dick's right wrist and began to saw through the rope. Dick barely made a noise, until Batman had finished cutting the rope. As Batman gentled lowered the hand, Dick gasped and slumped.

"He's..." said Artemis, as she reached forward and placed a finger against the pulse in the teen's throat.

"He's unconscious," said Batman. The Dark Knight immediately started to cut through the other rope holding the teen's left wrist.

As soon as the other hand was free, Batman sat back and reached for a communicator on his belt. It wasn't the one that he had used to speak with Artemis. He pressed a couple of buttons and waited.

"Yes?"

Artemis recognized the voice of James Gordon.

"I found Grayson," Batman growled and then proceeded to rattle off the directions on how to reach the abandoned house. "Send an ambulance and police. The man responsible is tied up."

Batman didn't wait for an acknowledgment before he pressed a different button and put the communicator back on his belt. Using the bat-a-rang, Batman started to cut away the tape around Dick's feet.

"Isn't Gordon going to wonder why you're involved?" asked Artemis quietly.

She assumed Miguel was still unconscious, but, with Dick in rough shape, she didn't want to disturb the teen. Until Dick could be medically treated, which would include pain medication, the dark haired boy was probably better off unconscious.

"No," growled Batman. He didn't look at her. "Return to the car."

She opened her mouth to argue. She didn't want to leave Dick.

"Your city is Star," said Batman. The Dark Knight finished cutting away the tape and looked a the blonde hero. "How do you plan to explain why you're across the country, helping someone you don't know, when the police arrive?"

She closed her mouth. She was so fixated on helping Dick that she completely forgotten that Gotham wasn't her city. She nodded her head and went for the window that Batman smashed.


	19. Chapter 19: Consequences

Chapter 19

Bruce stood in the hospital staring at his son. Dick had been brought immediately to the hospital after Gordon arrived with his men. The ambulance crew did as much as they could to stabilize Dick for transport. As Batman, he watched as the teen was loaded into the ambulance. He stayed to speak with Gordon, though he longed to follow the vehicle as it sped away with lights and sirens. He made sure to tell Gordon about the body in the other room that Artemis had found.

As soon as Gordon turned his back, to check in with some officers about securing the scene, Batman slipped away. He made his way back to the car and found that Artemis had already slipped out of her uniform and was back in her school clothes. Quickly, Batman changed and, as Bruce Wayne, he got back into the car. Quietly, they had made their way back into the city and Bruce delivered her home.

"Why can't I go to the hospital with you?" asked Artemis. She had refused to exit the vehicle.

"Because Bruce Wayne doesn't know that Dick Grayson has been found and brought to the hospital," replied Bruce quietly. He had glanced at her.

Grudgingly, Artemis had gotten out of the car. Just as Bruce pulled the car into traffic, his cell phone rang. With his hands free option, he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Bruce? It's Jim. We found Dick."

"How is he?" Bruce quickly asked. He knew that his son was hurt, though he had to pretend he didn't know anything about Dick's condition.

"Rough shape," replied Gordon. "An ambulance transported him to Gotham Central Medical Center."

"Thanks, Jim," replied Bruce. His hand hovered over the off button.

"Don't thank me, Bruce. I just wished we had found him earlier."

Bruce clicked a button and ended the call. Hours later, the older man stood in his son's hospital room. Dick's team of doctors had decided that the teen needed to stay at least for 72 hours for observation, but the prognosis was positive. While the dark haired teen had received three broken ribs and a broken collarbone, they had all broken clean and hadn't damaged any nearby muscle. Since Dick was a healthy teen, the doctors felt he would recover completely. They assured Bruce that the 72 hours was only cautionary.

Alfred showed up not long after Bruce. The older man had sat near the teen's bed. It was one of the rare occasions that Bruce ever saw the older man sitting down. Hours later, Alfred had left after he heard the doctors opinion that the teen would be able to recover at home. Alfred went home to prepare.

The news of the second kidnapping and rescue spread. As the afternoon turned into evening and eventually night, multiple members of the Justice League stopped by. Most wore disguises to hide their identities, as there was be no reason for either the hero or the secret identity to know Dick Grayson.

The visitor that had surprised Bruce, shortly before midnight, was Roy Harper. The redhead had stopped just inside the doorway when he had seen Bruce. It was obvious, from the dark circles under the young man's eyes, that he hadn't been sleeping well. Roy opened his mouth, ready to challenge for his right to be there, but Bruce looked away. Roy took it as an open invitation to stay. The two men didn't say anything, but Roy stayed for hours, sitting by Dick's side.

Shortly after dawn, the first of Dick's younger friends showed. Barbara Gordon walked into the room, escorted by her father. She gasped when she saw her friend and quickly sat down next to the teen. She hesitated for a moment before she reached out to take the boy's hand in hers.

"How is he doing?" asked Barbara's father quietly. Rather than sit in the other chair on Dick's other side, James stood next to Bruce. James had only briefly seen the teen before he had been loaded into an ambulance.

"He's stable," replied Bruce. His voice was just as quiet. "The doctors want him to stay for a few days." Bruce listened as Barbara whispered to Dick.

"Has he woken up?" asked James.

"The doctors said he was half conscious when the ambulance brought him in, but with all the drugs they're pumping into him through the IV...they said it would be best if he slept."

The Commissioner didn't say anything more. Hours later, James stepped forward and touched his daughter on the shoulder.

"Time to go," said Barbara's father.

She nodded her head and stood up. Her right hand reached up and brushed at her cheeks, rubbing away the tears she had been crying. James wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and they exited the room.

A few hours later, the door opened again. Bruce looked over and saw Wally. The redhead quickly stepped into the room and up to Bruce.

"I'm skipping school," said the boy, in a rare moment of assertion. Normally, the redhead had a difficult time looking at Bruce and speaking with him. Instead of stumbling over his words and looking flustered, the teen looked determined. "Dick is more important."

Bruce nodded his head. The redhead slipped by him and sat down next to Dick. More hours slipped by. Bruce would occasionally listen in on Wally's words. Sometimes it was silly things, like a new game he had heard about that they had to play. Other times, the redhead was pleading with Dick to open his eyes and look at him.

It was late afternoon when the door opened again and Artemis entered the room. She was so focused on Bruce that, at first, she didn't notice the redhead. Wally immediately noticed her and his mouth hung open.

"How is he?"

"Stable," replied Bruce.

The blonde turned and, for the first time, noticed Wally. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, ummm..." Wally faded off.

"She knows, Wallace," said Bruce. It was an attempt to ease the situation.

"Wait," said Artemis, as she turned back toward Bruce. "He knows too?"

Bruce said nothing. Instead the redhead answered her question. "Yeah, I know. When did you find out?"

"Yesterday," she mumbled, as she walked toward the empty seat, near the bed, and sat down.

Artemis stared at Wally for a few minutes before she turned her attention to Dick. The teen was pale. A thin white blanket was pulled halfway up his chest, but the wrappings around his ribs were noticeable. There was another brace-like bandage wrapped around Dick's shoulders. An IV was in the back of his right hand. His face was relaxed in sleep. "He looks better than yesterday."

"What do you mean?" asked the redhead. He looked at Dick. "He looks terrible. He had to have been way better before being...kidnapped."

"Artemis helped with the rescue, Wallace," replied Bruce.

"Why wasn't I called in?" asked Wally. The teen speedster shifted his gaze to Bruce. He turned his attention to the blonde when the man didn't answer.

"I wasn't called in," said Artemis, when it was obvious Bruce wasn't going to answer. "Just right place, right time. Speaking of which..." The blonde turned and looked at Bruce. She lowered her voice. "Why weren't you worried about being there? I mean, not you, like you, but...you know...masks...and Gordon..."

It was obvious that she still wanted to know why Bruce wasn't worried if Gordon knew that Batman had rescued Dick, but she held back asking the question bluntly. Artemis was aware that they were in a hospital room, which was a semi-private space. While the door to Dick's room was shut, nurses and doctors had been in and out all day. Artemis was aware that the privacy they had was temporary.

"Batman rescued Dick?" asked Wally. Artemis rubbed her hands across her face and sighed. All of her attempts of subtly were lost.

"Yes," replied Bruce.

"Oh," said Wally, as he turned his attention back to the dark haired teen who was sleeping in the bed. His attitude was nonchalant.

When no one said anything more, Artemis started to almost vibrate in her need to know why no one else was worried. Finally, she couldn't take it any more.

"Is no one worried?" she whispered.

"Wait?" said Wally, as he glanced toward the blond. "You don't know?"

The blond glared at Wally. "Know what?"

The teen speedster glanced at Bruce. When the older man didn't say anything, Wally looked at Artemis. "Bruce Wayne is a known benefactor of the Justice League."

"So?" asked Artemis. "I know that!"

"So no one would think anything of a League member occasionally rescuing Bruce...or Dick," said Wally. "Especially if the danger had made the news. Keeping Bruce safe keeps the money flowing."

Bruce was surprised, though he didn't let it show. He hadn't known that Wally understood why it hadn't been a problem for Batman to rescue Dick this time. The abduction of Bruce and Dick had made national news. While the initial articles hadn't mentioned that Miguel had escaped, later articles had mentioned that not all of the men had been arrested. The threat to Dick hadn't been a secret, so it wasn't that hard to believe that Batman had found out and had made himself available to save the boy. While the older man didn't say anything, Wally caught him staring at him. The redhead flushed, embarrassed.

"Who told you that?" demanded the blonde.

"Dick," the red head mumbled. "He said that the money angle gave the League some flexibility." The teen looked at Dick, but he glanced up to Artemis and grinned. "Batman has even rescued Bruce."

The blonde blinked in confusion. "How?"

"Superman wore the suit," replied Bruce quietly. He almost smiled. It wasn't that the memory of the _rescue_ was funny. It had been staged. Bruce had planned it to the last detail and Superman had executed the plan smoothly.

Shortly after it had become publicly known that Bruce Wayne regularly donated large amounts of money to the Justice League, he had become aware that some may draw a conclusion regarding a major funding source coming from Bruce, who lived in Gotham, and Batman, who was a founding member of the Justice League. Superman had worn the Batman suit and "saved" Bruce Wayne. It had provided evidence that the two men had been in the same place at the same time and, therefore, Bruce Wayne couldn't be Batman.

Bruce's amusement came from the day before the event. Superman had stopped by the Batcave, to make sure that the costume would fit him perfectly. While wearing the suit, he had practiced the growl Batman often used when he spoke. Dick had only recently come to live with Bruce. The boy was still training, not ready to go out as Robin. Dick had been rolling on the ground, laughing so hard that tears were rolling down the boy's cheeks. Superman never got the growl correct. Finally, Dick begged him to stop and then, wiping the tears away, he had reminded the hero that Batman often was the strong and silent type. The boy had emphasized the word "silent" to Superman.

The memory was interrupted was the distinct sound of a growling stomach. Bruce and Artemis looked at Wally.

"Sorry," said the teen.

"Go get something to eat," said Bruce. "Both of you."

Knowing that they were being dismissed, the teens got up from their chairs. Just as Wally went to walk by Bruce, the man stopped the redhead. Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. The older man took out a fifty and passed it to the teen. Wally opened his mouth when he saw the amount of the bill and looked at Bruce.

"Make sure your stomach is full before you head home," said Bruce.

The redhead nodded and followed Artemis out of the room. As the door shut, Bruce moved up next to the bed and took the seat Wally had been sitting it. After a moment, he placed his hand over Dick's hand.

"Bruce?"

The voice was sleepy. Bruce looked at Dick. The boy's eyes were barely open, but Bruce could see those bright blue eyes lock onto him.

"Where?"

"You're in the hospital, Dick," replied Bruce. He carefully squeezed the hand under his.

"Hospital?" The teen's brow wrinkled in confusion. For a moment, the confusion cleared and fear replaced it. "Miguel!" The name was clear and the sleepiness was gone.

Bruce moved his hand and brushed Dick's temple repeatedly, attempting to sooth his son. "He's gone. He won't harm you again. You're safe."

The blue eyes locked onto Bruce. "You sure?"

"Yes, Dick," replied Bruce. His voice was firm. "He'll never bother you again."

Dick nodded his head and drifted off to sleep.

THE END


End file.
